


Sanctum

by Kamui4Heroes



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Cardfight!! Vanguard G, Gen, Injury, Kidnapping, Memory Loss, Mentions of Blood, Minor Character Death, Neon Messiah, Post-Legion Mate, T-rated violence, bad end legion mate, deletors being generally creepy, no beta we die in triple crit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 52,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27199639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamui4Heroes/pseuds/Kamui4Heroes
Summary: The final card clattered into Kai's damage zone."Kai-kun."Kai looked up to see Aichi, simple, naïve Aichi, smiling sadly as he held his accursed deck to his chest. Where, beneath the layers of his white shirt and skin, a monstrous black seed had latched itself and taken root."Perhaps now isn't the best time, but," Aichi's eyes lowered, "It made me happy. To hear what you and everyone else would do for me. I really am grateful."---Post Legion Mate AU where Kai loses the final battle ft. Kai, Ren, Leon, and Naoki as the new Quatre Knights. Updating tags as I go.
Relationships: Kai Toshiki & Sendou Aichi, Kai Toshiki & Suzugamori Ren & Soryu Leon & Ishida Naoki
Comments: 59
Kudos: 41





	1. Atrium.Oath

The final card clattered into Kai's damage zone.

"Kai-kun."

Kai looked up to see Aichi. Simple, naïve Aichi, smiling sadly as he held his accursed deck to his chest. Where, beneath the layers of his white shirt and skin, a monstrous black seed had latched itself and taken root.

"Perhaps now isn't the best time, but," Aichi's eyes lowered, "It made me happy. To hear what you and everyone else would do for me. I really am grateful."

His words weren’t the ones Kai wanted to hear. Weren’t the ones that Kai had hoped to hear when he set out on his journey, seeking. Aichi was so close, Kai only needed to take a few steps and reach out to touch him. And yet, he stood frozen in place, face twisted in a pained scowl at the realization that he had _lost_. 

Aichi looked up, his bright blue eyes quivering with emotion, "I’m sorry. This is how it has to be."

In the next moment, a wave of dark red miasma erupted from Aichi, accompanied by his anguished cry. The cards in his hands clattered uselessly to the floor as he crossed both arms over his chest and pressed down hard, as if he could physically will the seed to remain. 

"Aichi!" Kourin, battered as she was, raced over, "Hold on!"

Her shoes clacked loudly as she ran over the uneven ground, hand outstretched, but as soon as she drew near the miasma around Aichi erupted like a detonated bomb. The resulting shockwave caused pieces of rubble to burst from the ruined floor, crackling across the remaining foundations of the Sanctuary and threatening to throw everyone off of their feet.

Kai knelt down on one knee and braced his hands against the ground, balancing as best as he could. Behind him, yelps from the others filled the air as consecutive waves of miasma billowed, but Kai only had eyes for what was in front of him.

In the center of the storm was Aichi, still wailing as dark energy exuded from him.

Kai decided then that it was time to make good on his promise.

Slowly, steadily, he inched forward. Each step that took him closer to Aichi hit him with another wave of the miasma. On the way to the Sanctuary, Kai had taken his fair share of punishment. The blistering heat of Gaillard's blue flames, the heartbreak of falling short so many times, the pain of watching those around him suffer from his poor leadership – he had had to face it all.

But nothing quite felt like the miasma of Link Joker.

It was walking on knives, it was swallowing smoldering ashes, it was dipping all his limbs in poison that ate him away to the bone - all at the same time.

However, the greatest advantage Kai had in bearing the storm was that he had weathered it once before.

“ _Aichi_ ,” he called out feebly, his voice lost to the wind. 

When he finally reached Aichi, he fell to the ground, nearly overwhelmed by the force of the billowing miasma. Aichi sat on his knees, back bowed forward to the point where his hair touched the floor, curled in on himself like a ball. His cries blended in with the rush of miasma, grating against Kai’s ears as he reached out with both hands. 

Through gritted teeth, he grasped Aichi’s shoulders tightly and called out to the wretched Link Joker that he had once embraced. 

_If you need a place to be, then come. Leave him._

The miasma responded almost immediately to the offering, funneling itself through Kai’s fingertips and feeding directly into his body.

Kai was somehow vaguely aware that he was screaming from the pain, but he couldn't tell how long he sat there, digging his fingers into the thick edge of Aichi’s coat. Every second was its own eternity, each minute its own universe. By the time that Kai registered that the miasma had finally stopped, his throat was hoarse and the very fibers of his being felt like they had been split apart and reassembled.

Above them, the open expanse of the night sky twinkled prettily, none the wiser to their pains.

Kai's shoulders slouched down from exertion, nearly tipping over onto the ground before he caught himself by tightening his hold on Aichi.

Aichi himself had passed out, cold. His gently closed eyes and even breaths as he slumped against Kai's hands struck a chord of relief. Though Aichi had certainly grown and filled out over the years, Kai couldn't help but notice how _small_ he seemed. How his flesh and bone human body managed to contain so much miasma, let alone the seed of Void, was beyond Kai. 

Moments passed, filled only by the tandem of their breaths, until the sound of footsteps on rubble alerted Kai's attention.

Nearly thirty feet away, atop the ruins of the Sanctuary, Kourin stood up.

Her hair had fallen out of its tie and her legs were littered with an assortment of cuts. As she stood, she braced a hand over a torn sleeve, dripping with blood. But even so, her green eyes were stern and resolute.

\---

The Sanctuary had been created by Tatsunagi Takuto, as a sort of safety.

The whole structure existed inside of a space-time singularity, a sort of corridor between the two sister planets of Earth and Cray, in a pocket dimension where the last vestiges of Takuto's power maintained every last pillar and pebble. 

It just so happened that it manifested itself as if it were on the moon, positioned so that the blue eye of the Earth was always in sight. 

Despite her injuries, Kourin managed to tap into the Sanctuary’s power reserve and restore the grounds just around the circular dais where the throne sat. It was haphazard and the floor where everyone else stood was lopsided and cracked, but it would have to do. They were well out of time. 

Unlike the first time the seal had been done, there was very little pomp and circumstance. The four, new appointed knights, stood in their collection of dusty, ripped school uniforms at the foot of the dais. Off to the side, the three former Quatre knights stood with their heads bowed in shame.

Ultimately, their memories would have to be erased and they would be sent back to Earth. They had failed their oath and thus, had lost the privilege to remain in the Sanctuary. For the time being, they stood as mere witnesses to the knighting ceremony, too troublesome to send back until the seal was properly redone.

In the center of the dais, Aichi sat, still fast asleep against the tall-backed throne where Kai had deposited him. 

There was no time to say goodbye. Not when there was no telling how strong the Link Joker seed would be the next time he awoke.

"Wait."

All eyes fell to Gaillard.

"We don't have time, Gaillard," Kourin's voice was filled with urgency.

Gaillard shook his head, "I know. I have no intention of being a hindrance to Aichi-san's will."

The former knight stepped forward to where the four soon-to-be knights stood and stopped right in front of Kai. In one smooth motion, he slid off both of the rings that adorned his middle fingers and held them out.

"Take them," Gaillard commanded with an air of finality, "And do what I couldn't. Protect him."

Kai reached out and took the rings. The metal was hot to the touch, as if they had been passed over an open flame. He carefully slid them onto his middle fingers, one at a time. They were a perfect fit. When he was finished, Gaillard regarded Kai and the rings, then around and bowed deeply to the throne where Aichi sat. 

Without another word, he swiftly walked back to where the other former knights stood.

"Let's continue," Kourin ushered. "It's time to take your oaths."

Four pedestals rose from the ground.

Where knights of old performed their accolade with the touch of a sword on each shoulder, the Quatre Knights to Aichi's sanctum laid their avatars down onto the pedestals that would seal him. It was a symbolic gesture that emphasized that it was more than their lives they were offering, but rather their very beings, from Earth all the way to Cray. In return, their prisons were born.

Kai spared a glance at the three others as they set their hands on their own pedestals before following suit.

As if reacting to their changing of hands, the rings on Kai's hands shimmered and rippled the moment he touched the smooth surface. The silver metal tarnished into gilded gold and the twin blue gems shifted into a deep crimson. He watched them with muted awe until a small, scorching red flare erupted from the rings just as the transformation finished.

Kourin's eyes widened at the sudden change, but she quickly regained her bearings. "We will continue," she stated calmly," Place your hands back onto the pedestals. Devote all of your soul and energy to Aichi."

Despite the lack of decorum that accompanied the newly minted knights' ceremony, everything had gone as smoothly as the previous one.

That was, until the time came to renew the seal. 

The moment all four of them set their hands upon their respective pedestals, a dark shockwave resounded throughout the Sanctuary ruins, accompanied by a rush of wind. A stroke of blue lightning echoed with thunder across the dais, causing all to flinch back. Then, the very air around them became warm, then hot, to unbearably burning all at once.

A shimmering barrier flooded out from the outer edge of the dais, flashing red and blue as it rose to the skies, filling their eyes with a blinding light. Then, just as suddenly as the chaos started, the light converged into a single point in the open black sky above them…

… then dissipated at once. 

The barrier was translucent, just barely visible to the naked eye, but the steady thrum of power that emanated from it declared that it was there, loud and bold. 

With her mouth agape in shock, Kourin slowly realized two things.

Firstly, that Aichi had made a mistake in choosing the first set of knights.

They were undeniably very strong, world-class fighters. But when it came to the power of bonds, there were few people who wouldn't do more for him than the new Quatre knights before her. Something that the Sanctuary itself responded to, louder than ever before all of them.

And secondly, the seal had finally been remade.

Stronger than ever and made to last an eternity of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever compile literal years worth of headcanons and marathon jog them into a single fic over the period of a month? That's me right now. 
> 
> Ever since Legion Mate ended, I've always wondered how things would've gone if Vanguard wasn't a TCG anime and the protagonists actually lost, so here's my take on how things might've gone down. 
> 
> This fic is pretty much completely written so I'm hoping to post a chapter every Sunday and update tags as I go, assuming that my schedule allows. In addition, while brevity may be the soul of wit, I often find prologues too short to whet my appetite on their own so the second chapter should already be up and available. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you decide to stick around for the rest of the ride + stay awesome!


	2. Dark Abyssal Prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never provoke the wrong person.

In Ren's opinion, the moon was boring.

Ever since Kourin had divulged that their bodies technically didn't need anything – sleep, food, and the like – thanks to the power of the Sanctuary, Kai had insisted that they cut off all visits to Earth.

"There's no point in taking chances," he had said with characteristic austerity. 

Ever since they had all been knighted, Kai had become the de facto leader of the new Quatre knights. He took to his role swimmingly, only further edged on by the new clothes that Kourin had provided to replace their torn school uniforms. Ren never thought that he would see the day Kai was dressed in white head to toe, but surprisingly, the long, collared coat suited him.

It was more than he could say for himself. Yes, Fukuhara's uniforms were white, but really, white wasn't Ren's color.

"Hey, Aichi-kun, is this really what you wanted?" Ren called out.

He sat at the foot of the dais, leaning back on one of the sealing pedestals. It was his turn to guard the main hall, but honestly, he didn't see the point. No one could come to the Sanctuary after almost all the warps had been destroyed. And even if they did, the barrier seal around Aichi was nigh impenetrable.

"Kai's acting like a giant worry wart, Nao-kki's really sad, and Leo-Leo misses the wind."

As always, there was no answer.

"Talkative as ever, I see."

Ren stood up and dusted himself off. He took a glance back at the looming chair where Aichi sat, then smiled mischievously.

"How mad do you think Kai would be if I snuck off for a little bit?"

He could almost imagine Aichi's earnest, frantic reply, _"Ren-san! You shouldn't purposefully provoke Kai-kun like that."_

"Too bad, I don't care," Ren shrugged. "If you're worried, then cover for me, okay? Aichi-kun."

With that, he skipped off.

While most of the warps that lead to Earth had been destroyed, there were still two that remained functional. Kourin had explained that they couldn't close off all the gates without causing damage to the space-time corridor, so one of them was installed in the round table chamber where the knights convened for their meetings. It was perfect for containing any lost soul that might've accidentally (or purposefully) found their way onto the single warp pad placed on Earth.

As for the other one, Ren had come across it by chance while wandering about the half-repaired Sanctuary.

It looked hastily made, a slap dash carving of a Vanguard circle on a gray slab, sectioned off in an alcove. But when Ren touched the stone, it still vibrated with power. He hadn't felt the urge to try it out since he had found it, but seeing that he only seemed to grow more bored by the day, it had only been a matter of time before he did. 

Ren stepped onto the slab, bent down, and let the channel of power whisk him away.

\---

The afternoon sun overhead Fukuhara high school was brighter than Ren remembered. Being in the Sanctuary for so long, where the only lights were the piercing white lanterns that lined the rooms and corridors, was apparently bad for the eyes.

"All the more reason to take a break every now and then," Ren hummed happily. 

Vaguely, Ren wondered if he would get in trouble for not wearing his school uniform. Fukuhara was a high security school for elites, after all, and people had been asked to leave for far less.

That settled things then: Ren's first goal was to find either Tetsu or Asaka, both of which always somehow kept a full spare uniform for him. It was helpful since Ren had a habit of forgetting his tie or jacket, but also especially helpful for when he was returning from a base on the moon's surface because Aichi needed babysitting.

It only took a short detour of avoiding students and faculty when Ren caught sight of a head of dark blue hair walking towards the Vanguard club building.

"Hey! Asaka!" Ren called out.

Narumi Asaka turned around as Ren caught up to her.

"Can you help me out, Asaka? I forgot my whole uniform this time," he chuckled.

Asaka's fine brows knitted in confusion and she pursed her lips. She seemed conflicted, nearly concerned.

Ren didn't blame her. He had kind of disappeared to the moon for the past while without explanation. He probably would have been concerned and more than a little miffed if she or Tetsu had done the same. Perhaps a little more nudging would do the trick?

He clasped his hands together, "I'm sorry for being gone so long, really."

"Ah, no, I'm just-," Asaka looked around nervously.

Ren patiently waited for her to gather her thoughts.

Eventually, she mustered the courage to look right at him and said, "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

\---

Kai's shoes clacked against the floor as he walked into the main hall where Aichi slept. As he expected, Ren was nowhere in sight. It was inevitable, he supposed. Ren was as capricious as he was cunning in spades. Even an eternal oath to serve wouldn't change that, even if it did grate on Kai's patience.

Not like he had any right to voice his complaints, though, when it was his fault for losing the final battle in the first place.

Kai had been surprised when Ren, Leon, and Naoki all conceded to their mutual fate as knights when he lost. Aichi had said he was willing to battle all of them if that was what it took, but after his fight with Kai, they had all fallen in line.

Was it because Aichi was already drained from his battle with Kai? Or perhaps it was because of the precarious nature of the seed that threatened to unleash itself right away if the seal hadn’t been renewed. While both were probable, something uglier in Kai told him that it was because he was a weak leader, a weak Vanguard who had simply cosigned their lives with his loss.

He quietly walked over to the edge of the dais and looked out at where Aichi sat. Beyond the throne, the pillars of the Sanctuary opened up to the expanse of space, where the Earth's brilliant blue hue shone through.

It was poetic, in a melancholy way.

Even in his sleep, Aichi would always face the Earth and the people he protected. If Ren was there now, as Kai suspected, he hoped that Aichi would look over him, too.

In the meantime, Kai stood at the edge of the dais and held his hand out.

\---

"He claims that he's a prospective sponsor for the Vanguard club," Asaka explained uneasily.

Tetsu crossed his arms and regarded the man before him.

Average height and build, dark red hair kept in a loose ponytail, and red eyes that seemed to look right through Tetsu. He was dressed in a loose white coat with red accents and had a pair of white gloves on his hands to match. The only other accessory he wore was a thin, black choker adorned with wire-thin silver links.

He didn't look suspicious per se, but Tetsu was an exceedingly cautious man.

"May I ask for your name?"

"Suzugamori Ren," the man, Ren, smiled as he held out his hand.

Tetsu shook Ren's hand, "Shinjou Tetsu. I'm the current coach for Fukuhara's Vanguard club."

"Wow," Ren's mouth made a small 'o' as he spoke, "So you're the one who led the Fukuhara Vanguard club to victory before in the Vanguard Koushien?"

"Ah, no, although we put our best foot forward, we lost in the finals during my final year at Fukuhara," Tetsu smiled sadly, "However, we haven't lost an ounce of our passion to succeed. This year, for sure, we will be victorious."

Ren's expression set into an unreadable line. All the cheeriness he had just moments ago seemed to drain away at once.

"I see," Ren murmured, "Well, I wish you all the best, then."

Tetsu frowned. Had he said something wrong? Yes, it was a bit of a blow that Fukuhara hadn't been able to take home the gold, but second place in the nation was nothing to scoff about. Perhaps Suzugamori Ren was one of those sponsors that only cared about first place? Speaking of...

"Excuse me, Suzugamori-"

"Ren is fine," Ren's face lit back up into a smile, "If you say Suzugamori-san, I'll start to feel really old."

"Right," Tetsu said hesitantly, "Um, Ren-san."

"No, no, just Ren! It's really weird if you call me anything else Tet-," Ren abruptly stopped speaking, "Coach Shinjou."

"My apologies, Ren," Tetsu internally winced at the informality, "Um, generally, if you would like to sponsor our club, there is a process that you have to complete with the school first in advance, so that I can be notified of when you arrive."

He trailed off uncertainly.

Ordinarily, Tetsu was actually quite good at handling official affairs and speaking to sponsors. He was calm, but firm and solid. The rock upon which the foundation of Fukuhara's Vanguard club stood tall. However, in front of Suzugamori Ren, none of that seemed to matter. There was a distinct magnetism around the man that felt shockingly familiar, even if Tetsu couldn't put his finger on it.

"Hey, Coach Shinjou," Ren prompted.

"Yes?" Tetsu slowly replied.

"Let's play a match together!"

Tetsu blinked, dumbfounded, "Excuse me?"

Ren reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a black deck box, "I want to fight the great Shinjou Tetsu in a match." The man tilted his head coyly, "Please?"

Ordinarily, Tetsu politely refused such requests from sponsors or club affiliates. He stood by the principle that he was no longer in the spotlight as the club's ace and was strictly there to showcase the talent that Fukuhara had to offer. And yet, in front of Suzugamori Ren, Tetsu felt compelled in a way he never had felt before. An unnamed ache burned inside of him at the challenge. 

Finally, he conceded, "One match couldn't hurt, I suppose."

\---

It had become clear to Tetsu after a few rounds of their match that it wasn't Ren's first time playing. As a coach, Tetsu had taught his own share of card-fumbling beginners with half-made decks who bent over the fight table to reread the skills on their own cards every time they used them. Ren, on the other hand, was no beginner.

He called his units with confidence and seemed to be able to recite their skills with his eyes closed. His Shadow Paladin deck was clearly balanced and well-tuned. And, most starkly, beyond his laid-back, almost bored expression, Ren's red eyes darted across the table, drinking in details and analyzing Tetsu's moves. No, even more, it seemed like he anticipated all of Tetsu’s patterns.

Tetsu was almost certain that if he asked Ren to recite all the cards he had placed that match and the order he had used their effects, Ren would've been able to remember them all.

But even so, Ren lost.

Not because he was a bad player, not even because Tetsu had gotten lucky, but because it appeared like Ren wanted to lose.

Over-guarding to deplete his own hand, attacking out of the optimal order, and making aggressive plays when there was little to gain – Tetsu might've thought that any one of these could have been just a slip of the mind, but Ren doing all three and more seemed to imply that he just didn't want to win.

After the match, Ren looked at him with something Tetsu thought was anticipation in his eyes. What exactly did Ren want to gain from purposely losing? Tetsu wondered.

"Would you like to play a second match?" Tetsu asked tentatively.

"Sure," Ren still smiled, but he was markedly less chipper than before.

The two silently reset their decks.

"Stand up, Vanguard."

"Stand up, The Vanguard."

The flow of the second match was night and day from the first one.

Ren played with the fervor of a champion who had everything to lose. Where rookie mistakes dotted his play in the first game, his actions in the second game were seamlessly executed. Every last microplay bled with experience, as if Ren had played the exact match-up against Tetsu's deck thousand times over.

Suzugamori Ren was more than just good.

He was phenomenal.

Tetsu lost the second match. Badly.

By the time Tetsu’s sixth damage check slid into his damage zone, a crowd of students formed a circle around the table, bustling with murmurs about the man who had just beaten their coach.

"Tie-breaker!" Someone called out, "Best of three!"

The sentiment echoed amongst the crowd and soon the students were all clapping their hands and chanting, "best of three!" in unison.

"Well, well, well," Ren smiled, "It looks like we have an audience."

Tetsu was torn between reprimanding the club members for their rambunctiousness in front of a visitor and trying to figure out the enigma that was Suzugamori Ren. There was just something about the man that Tetsu couldn't shake off, something that was just beyond the reach of his memory.

"Entertain me, for one more game?" Ren asked.

Tetsu set his lips in a hard line, then decided, "One last game."

They set down their starting Vanguards again and rose to the challenge.

The third time around, Tetsu felt like he was better adjusted to the way Ren played. Perhaps it was arrogant of him to say so, but by the time they were partway through the match, he felt like he, too, could anticipate Ren's playstyle. Aggressive, but methodical, balanced with near-perfect resource management.

It was stunningly familiar.

Ren intoned, "Ride, Blaster Dark Revenger 'Abyss'." 

A chime, like a struck tuning fork, reverberated through the air.

Tetsu blinked and found himself in a craggy clearing, surrounded on all sides by cliffs. It was night, but the full moon overlooking the scene shone brightly, filling the whole area with pale light.

"You really don't remember, huh, Tetsu."

Tetsu looked ahead of him to see a dark knight in sharp armor. Underneath the helm was the red hair of Suzugamori Ren. It took a moment for Tetsu to realize through the dim light, but there was a watery edge to his red eyes. 

"W-what is this?" Tetsu's own voice was distorted. When he looked down at his hands there was a wispy sheen over them, as if his body was filled with mist.

"How mean. Forgetting me like this."

Tetsu's eyes looked back up to where Ren stood. The bright teal lines in his dark armor shifted as he reached out and yanked a large, dark broadsword from the ground. With practiced ease, Ren brandished the blade and rocked back onto his heels.

Before Tetsu could blink, Ren dashed until he was right in front of him with the forked tip of the broadsword centimeters from piercing his torso.

Tetsu's muscles tensed and he moved back in a feeble attempt to avoid getting impaled-

"Attack the Vanguard."

At once, the fight table filled Tetu's eyes again. The bright lights of the clubroom, the chitter of excited students, the feel of the cards he held in his hands – all of it raced towards him at once. He looked up to see Ren with his gloved hand still on the Blaster Dark that he had placed into rest as he announced his attack.

Tetsu swallowed, sweating faintly.

"Would you like to guard?" Ren asked sweetly.

Tetsu glanced down at the single damage in his damage zone, then replied, "N-no guard."

Ren hummed, "Drive check."

He flipped over the top card of his deck to reveal a critical trigger, Grim Revenger.

A sharp pain flared through Tetsu's chest.

He doubled over, cards tumbling out of his hand as he braced himself against the handrails of the fight table. He opened his mouth to take a breath in, only to find himself choking on air. The pain twisted upon itself like a knife in his chest, then sharply left him at once, leaving Tetsu gasping.

The ring of students fell silent.

Ren regarded Tetsu for a moment, his red eyes unreadable once more.

Then, he placed his own hand down on the table and said, "I give up."

He quickly gathered his cards and slipped them back into his deck box before tucking all of them back into his coat pocket.

"W-wait," Tetsu wheezed, still leaning against the table, "I need to ask you something."

Ren had already turned on his heel to leave, but paused at the sound of Tetsu's voice.

"Have we..." Tetsu gulped, "Have we met before?"

Ren appeared to think for a moment before shrugging.

"Who knows?"

Then, without another word, he turned around and left.

\---

Kourin stood waiting with her arms crossed when Ren manifested again on the crumbling slab.

"I knew I should've destroyed it after I sent Gaillard and the others back," she intoned evenly.

Ren stepped down from the slab with his hands in his pockets. His usual smile was intact but his peppy demeanor was nowhere to be seen in his slouched shoulders and hooded eyes.

"This old thing?" He kicked the slab with the side of his shoe, "I don't know. It seems to work just fine if you ask me."

"We agreed that no one would return to Earth unless there was an emergency."

"I was bored. Isn't that enough reason?"

"No. It's not," Kourin huffed.

Ren hummed as he leaned against one of the Sanctuary walls.

"Hey, tell me something, Kou-chan," Ren tilted his head back until his eyes were near-blinded by the overhead lanterns, "Do you think this is really what Aichi-kun wants?"

"Keeping the Link Joker seed from escaping was his final wish."

"No, no I mean," Ren's smile faltered, "Do you think it was Aichi's intention to hurt us like this? Did he want everyone on Earth to forget about us, too?"

For the first time since Ren returned, Kourin looked away.

"That was my doing," she quietly replied, "Allowing people to remember the Quatre Knights like last time was a mistake. In order for Aichi's peace to be truly protected, no one in this Sanctuary can be allowed to live their lives on Earth."

"I knew," Ren sighed, "That's cruel of you, Kou-chan."

“Perhaps,” Kourin said evenly, “But I decided that it was the necessary course of action.”

Ren felt a bubble of irritation well up inside him at her words. 

For the first time since he had stood before the pedestals to take his oath, the black choker around his neck, his prison, felt heavy and restricting. Like a vice hold that threatened to suffocate him whole. They were called prisons for a reason, he realized. 

“So, are you going to tattle on me?”

“I would prefer it if you admitted the fault yourself.”

“And leave myself at the mercy of Kai? Don’t wanna,” Ren whined. 

Kourin sighed and leveled her gaze at Ren. There was an attentive gleam to her that made him feel a bit more see-through than he was comfortable with. Eventually, she spoke, “You’re not nearly as dull as you pretend to be, Suzugamori Ren.”

Ren shrugged dismissively in response, “Should I say thank you to that?”

  
“Say whatever you like, however, know this,” Kourin’s face twisted into a pinched scowl, “you won’t betray Aichi.”

“Oh?” Ren tilted his chin up in challenge, “What makes you say that?”

“Because you’re a good person. You took the oath out of your own will because you knew it had to be done,” Kourin responded confidently, “And secondly, even though you did break the rules, you still returned to the Sanctuary.” 

“What if I was just coming back because I forgot something?” Ren countered, but his words felt empty, even to his own ears. 

Kourin shook her head, “Don’t do it again.” Sensing that she had won their little exchange, Kourin turned around sharply and walked away. 

Her words bit at Ren. Partially because she was right: when Ren went to Earth, he had no intentions of spoiling the Sanctuary’s defenses. He had just wanted some air and perhaps a change of pace, familiar faces as a sight for sore eyes. He hadn’t expected Kourin to have wiped his existence off of the face of the Earth, even though in hindsight, he should have expected it. 

But beyond even that, Ren truly, truly hated to lose. 

Suddenly, a dangerous thought curled itself into his mind.

In the shadow in the hallway, where no one else could see, Ren smiled. He reached up and pressed his fingers against the smooth edge where the material met his skin, relishing in the thrum of power that hummed under his fingertips from his prison. If he was a good person, as Kourin said, then he supposed it was time to do good acts, as a good person should.

The way he saw it, the new knights' pretty little act wouldn't last long without first being derailed from their personal problems. Eternity was a very, very long time, after all and the other knights as they were were too hung up on the past to move forward properly. 

So, Ren figured that it was up to him, the good person as he was, to test their mettle and nudge them forward. 

It just so happened that the best way to test a prison was to see how well its wardens managed a good, old-fashioned prison break. 

\---

"Welcome," Misaki intoned as the glass doors to Card Capital slid open. "Oh."

"Hello again," Miwa waved as he pulled down his baby pink scarf, "It's starting to get really cold outside! I might need to break out the mittens soon too." He held up his hands, fingers splotched red with cold, to make his point.

"Well, it is fall already," Misaki pointed out.

"That it is," Miwa chuckled. He walked around so that he was out of the doorway and settled in his usual spot at the table closest to the edge of the counter. After a quick glance around, he asked, "Slow day today?"

"It seems so," Misaki replied.

Miwa hummed and idly drummed his fingers on the table.

"If that's the case, would you humor me for a cardfight?"

Misaki sighed, "You know I don't really play Vanguard."

"Maybe, but," Miwa raised his brow inquisitively, "You still have a deck, don't you?"

Misaki paused and pursed her lips. He wasn't wrong. In fact, she actually had multiple decks that she had made on a whim in the past few years, even though she had no recollection of ever playing the game. The latest one – a Genesis deck – sat silently underneath the shop counter where Misaki had placed it at the beginning of her shift.

Why she bothered taking it with her everywhere, she didn't know. The habit had puzzled her for almost half a year, along with a plaguing feeling that something was out of place. For a while she had been convinced that her misgivings were just uneasiness about graduating from high school. 

However, graduation had come and gone and Misaki still felt as unsettled as ever.

But today, like many other days before it, she preferred to ignore it.

"How about yourself?" Misaki deflected, "You've come here every day since spring, but rarely play with anyone."

Miwa's smile cracked a little, "You got me there."

A mutual silence drifted between the two of them, comfortable and easy from months of practice, compared to the conflict that brewed inside of them.

"Hey," Miwa eventually spoke, "This is going to sound strange."

"If this is another trick to get me to play, then I'm going to kick you out."

"No, it's nothing like that," Miwa quickly reassured, "It's just."

In a rare show, he frowned as he spoke, " Do you ever get the feeling that you're missing something?"

Misaki's heartbeat leapt into her throat. She looked over to Miwa sharply. His normal, easy-going demeanor had been replaced by the serious set of his gray eyes, alight with determination.

It was odd for certain, but Misaki felt a magnetic pull from Miwa's words because truthfully, they were the same words that she had been trying and failing to form since that one day where she walked back into Card Capital, crying for a reason she couldn't fathom. For months, she had swept the subtle itch out of her mind, hoping that the answers would reveal themselves with time. 

But answers only came to those that were willing to take the time and effort to seek them out. 

So, she took in a breath, and decided for the first time in months, to take a step forward.

"Or," Misaki whispered, heartbeat thudding in her ears, "Someone?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! Yay! Ren is fun to write. 
> 
> This is also where I acknowledge that Sanctum is supposed to have illustrations. Unfortunately, my home base has become a quarantine den, so I don't have access to my drawing set up. As penance, here is what Ren should look like in his snazzy new clothes: [Full Body](https://i.ibb.co/Z8NByhW/Quatre-Knight-Ren-Full-Body-2-01.jpg) [Headshot](https://i.ibb.co/fqJTsPg/Quatre-Knight-Ren-01.jpg).
> 
> Bonus thanks to [manila_envelope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/manila_envelope) for reading through for me and being generally amazing and encouraging. Her fics are likewise amazing and I thoroughly recommend you check them out!
> 
> Thanks for reading! There will (hopefully) be more Quatre Knight designs, shenanigans, plots, and more come next week!


	3. Storm Surge Prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Longing, like a wave reaching for the shore.

Leon woke up like clockwork at 0500 every morning, without fail. 

Years of living at sea had trained the habit into his bones, even if there was no discernable night or day within the Sanctuary. His morning routine always started with rounds around the Knight's quarters. After more than a year roaming the Sanctuary halls, he knew what to expect when he passed by the other three, identical doors. 

Ren was always fast asleep in the morning and would remain asleep until well into the afternoon. If there was no tell-tale breathing behind the door, then it meant that he was gone for another one of his Earthly escapades. 

Naoki's room, in contrast, almost always had sound coming from it. In the early days, it was the grating sounds of shattering glass and fists against walls. As of late, though, Leon heard more soft murmuring, interspersed by Kourin's firm, reassuring voice as she woke him up from his nightly terrors. Leon made a point of walking faster whenever he heard them talking in hushed tones.

Then there was Kai, who, to Leon's knowledge, never slept. 

Since the very first day they had been knighted, Kai refused even the slightest moment of repose. He roamed the hallways of the Sanctuary obsessively, like a cursed specter from the sea shanties Leon had grown up with. 

As Leon passed by the Knight's hall that morning, it was silent, barring his own footsteps and a hushed whisper from Naoki’s door.

It was a small blessing, he supposed. 

He continued his rounds throughout the halls until his feet inevitably brought him to the main chamber, where Aichi slept. As he suspected, Kai stood vigil in front of the dais with his arms crossed and eyes closed. 

Leon walked up to stand next to his fellow knight in front of the sealing pedestals. 

Kai hadn't moved even a millimeter, nor had he so much as breathed in Leon's direction, but Leon knew that his presence hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Good morning, Sendou, Kai," Leon said towards the barrier. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a golden medallion the size of his palm, his prison. Like clockwork, he twisted the brass knobs until the overlapping circles and star markings underneath the medallion's face matched that of the view outside the Sanctuary. 

"It is currently 0530. No notable disturbances. Suzugamori Ren is currently absent and has been so for the past three days. End of report," Leon stated.

As soon as he finished, Kai turned around and stalked out of the main hall, as he did every morning after Leon finished speaking. In truth, the whole affair was pretty pointless. Leon never really had much to report besides the time and Ren's comings and goings.

However, their daily interaction was as close to a routine that he and Kai had. 

And if years trapped on an island, adrift at sea had taught Leon anything, it was that a routine could be the difference between sanity and insanity. 

So, Leon continued with his own routine and turned back to the throne where Aichi sat, to give his second report. 

"It has been nearly a year and a half since you were last awake," he said calmly, "Kai Toshiki appears to have no signs of relenting in his vigil." 

"If anything," Leon relaxed his shoulders, "He seems to only grow more vigilant by the day." 

Aichi never replied, of course. And unlike Ren, who Leon knew sometimes filled in whatever Aichi might've said, Leon was content to let him remain silent. 

\---

Leon was just passing by the round table chamber when a telltale static noise caught his attention. He walked back to the double doors and pushed them open just in time to see Ren hop down from the warp pad platform, arms laden with shopping bags. In his hands, he had what appeared to be a paper cone filled to the brim with thin fries.

"Oh! Leo Leo!" Ren greeted cheerily. "Would you like some?" 

Leon regarded Ren calmly. 

"America?" He eventually asked. 

"Bingo! You've been on a streak lately, Leo Leo," Ren tilted his head, "What gave it away this time?"

"That," Leon said as he pointed to one of the bags that hung off of Ren's arm. The paper had a not-so-subtle pattern of stars and stripes plastered all over it. 

"Ah, right, I forgot about this one," Ren said as he held up the bag, "It's a souvenir for Nao-kki! I got one for you too, of course."

Leon sighed. Roughly half a year ago when all the knights finally realized that they couldn’t keep Ren from traveling back to Earth as he pleased, Ren had been officially appointed as their Ambassador to Earth. 

Technically, his duties were centered around observing Earth and reporting any strange occurrences or threats to Vanguard or Aichi's peace. However, Ren more often than not seemed to skirt those duties in favor of sight-seeing and blowing his traveling stipend on souvenirs for himself and the rest of the knights. 

Since his appointment, Leon had received a blue windchime, a bag of sea glass, a mollusk fossil paperweight, a mounted fish, a journal, and several books. 

The journal and books, in particular, were well-appreciated for Leon's downtime but the other gifts Ren had given were puzzling. Short of bringing him a jar of seawater and a fan, Ren seemed intent on giving Leon every reminder he could of the ocean. To what end, though, Leon had no clue. Was it to make him feel nostalgic? A ruse to get a rise out of him? 

Perhaps. But the way Leon saw it, the souvenirs seemed more like Ren’s way of asking, _“Are you sure you won’t miss it?”_

A question that Leon didn’t have an honest answer to. 

"Hm, I know I put it somewhere," Ren rummaged through the bags. Then, his face lit up, "Ah! Found it."

Ren reached into a bright red bag near the junction of his elbow and pulled out a red box decorated with an intricate golden trim. 

Leon’s eyebrows raised. 

"For you," Ren smiled as he held it out. 

Leon gingerly reached out and received the box with both hands. Beneath his white gloves, the weight and dimensions of the box clued in a guess to its contents. He gently pulled back the lid. 

There, delicately placed in beds of fine wax paper, were four mooncakes. 

"It’s not autumn," Leon blurted out his first thought. 

Ren laughed, "I know, I know. I found them in a random little bakery while I was looking around and thought you might want some."

Of all the things that Ren could've brought back that would make Leon positively ache with nostalgia, mooncakes were the last thing Leon would've thought of. 

It had been nearly two years since Leon had last shared mooncakes with Jilian and Sharlene, during the mid-autumn festival in Hong Kong. Sharlene had insisted on trying out snow skin mooncakes for the first time that year. However, after her first bite, she realized that they didn't have any salted egg yolk and nearly cried. 

And because Leon could never bear it when either of the twins were upset, he went out and bought more last-minute mooncakes than the three could eat combined. 

Leon wondered where his companions were. 

He knew that they probably didn't remember him anymore, due to Kourin's executive decision to wipe away the existence of the knights. Though, even if they didn’t remember, the effects of his past actions remained. 

“What you have done has been done. That cannot be changed,” Kourin had explained, “However, the universe corrects itself as necessary. In your absences, the world will find its own justification for change.”

Aqua Force, and the wind to fill the Soryu’s sails once more, had returned without him. 

Surely, Leon hoped, that meant that Jilian and Sharlene were fending well for themselves. As the sole inheritors of the Soryu clan, he knew that they wouldn’t be hurting for necessities. He also hoped that Sharlene wasn’t getting into too much trouble on her own, just as much as he hoped that Jilian wasn’t being too stern with her twin sister. 

Beyond that, his sole wish was that the two had chosen to step into the world beyond, free as a pair of gulls, soaring on an ocean breeze. 

Instead of rotting on that craggy island out at sea, waiting for someone they couldn't even remember. 

Leon closed the box. 

"Thank you for the sentiment. However, I will have to refuse this gift."

Ren hummed, "That's a first. Do you not like mooncakes, Leo Leo?"

"Not today, at least," Leon said calmly. He walked over to the round table and set down the box, "Feel free to share them with the others."

"Do you really think Kai, Nao-kki, and Kou-chan would really eat them with me?"

"Perhaps not," Leon's lips quirked into a half-smile. Were it not for the regular meetings that they had collectively scheduled every week, he suspected that the four knights would never convene together. As the past year had revealed, personability certainly wasn’t their strong suit. 

"By the way," Ren's tone shifted abruptly as he shed his happy-go-lucky demeanor, "I have some news from Earth."

\---

"You were in Japan?" Kourin raised her voice. 

"Relax, Kou-chan," Ren drawled, "I wasn’t up to any trouble. In fact, I was paged over."

"By who?" Kai asked sharply. 

"Tatsunagi Takuto."

Silence fell over the round table, everyone stunned in place by Ren's answer. 

"He's… alive?" Kourin eventually managed. 

"He seemed alive to me,” Ren shrugged. 

The news settled uncomfortably. They had all been present on that one, fateful day that Tatsunagi Takuto had thanked everyone for their efforts in staving off Link Joker - right before he had promised the Void within him that he wouldn’t let go as they were banished into the nether, together. To hear that he was alive and back on Earth was like hearing that he had spontaneously burst out of the grave, feet first. 

Ren continued, “More importantly he wants our help.”

“With what?” Leon inquired.

"There's a new threat coming to Cray and Vanguard. One that could very well tear down the walls of this Sanctuary," Ren recited, "A forgotten force of Link Joker."

A loud bang resounded in the hall as metal collided with the table. To Leon's right, Naoki's fist put a sizable dent into the stone. He pulled back his hand and slowly unfurled his fingers, the metal links of his gauntlets crinkling as they straightened out. 

"I thought Link Joker was supposed to be gone now," Naoki bit out harshly, "Isn't that the reason why we're all here in the first place?"

Ren smiled, but none of his usual charm reached his eyes, "Who knows?" 

Incensed, Naoki stood up, hands clenched. He appeared mere seconds from jumping over the table and throttling Ren when Leon, the person sitting closest to him, stood up and grabbed his arm. 

"Stand down, Ishida," he commanded. 

"To hell with that," Naoki yelled, "Are you even listening to what he's saying, Leon?"

"I am," Leon replied evenly, "As should you. Let him finish talking."

There was a crackle of electricity in the air, a buzz that made the hair on the back of Leon's neck stand up. Beneath his fingers that held onto Naoki's arm, Leon felt the beginnings of a faint shock from Naoki's prison, dancing across his skin and threatening to let loose. However, Leon was nothing if not steadfast. 

He held onto Naoki tighter, his blunt fingernails digging faintly into the mesh of Naoki's gauntlets. 

"Stand down," Leon repeated. 

The electricity gradually intensified, then flared all at once, discharging in a smooth arc that left Leon's fingertips numb, before it died completely. 

Naoki ripped his arm out of Leon's grasp and sat down with a forceful sigh. 

Leon let go of the breath he had been holding and sat down as well. Underneath the table, he cradled his hand. Uncomfortably, he realized that he could barely flex his fingers with how much they trembled from the shock.

On the other side of the round table, Kai's teal eyes caught his own. It was subtle, but Kai slightly dipped his head towards Leon in what Leon assumed was gratitude. 

Leon inclined his head forward in acknowledgment. Truthfully, he hadn't done that much. When Naoki had initially stood up, Kai had uncrossed his arms and seemed more than ready to hold back Naoki himself. In the end, Leon had just been closer. 

With the issue temporarily resolved, Kai retreated back into his impassive state.

Kourin, however, was less willing to let the show slide, "Naoki, you're not supposed to use your prisons against each-"

"I know," Naoki huffed, "Don't patronize me."

"That sort of behavior is exactly-"

"Kourin," Kai cut in, "Leave it be." 

Kourin looked like she wanted to protest more, but didn't. 

Kai sighed, "Ren, continue."

"As I was saying," Ren kept speaking as if he hadn't almost been pummeled to the ground, "They're not the same Link Joker that we have sealed up here. According to Takuto-kun, they're an old force that was thought to have been destroyed, but has recently resurfaced."

"Destroyed," Kai echoed, "By what?"

"The wandering planet, Brandt," Ren replied with a sudden grimness, "Which, is currently on a path to collide with Cray and devour it as well."

The ramifications of such an event coming to pass rang clearly in the minds of all the knights. The destruction of Cray meant the sure destruction of the Vanguard, the _world_ that Aichi sought to protect with his sleep – the very thing that the knights were oathbound to keep. 

Naoki looked ready to start another yelling match when Kai spoke first, "So, what is Tatsunagi's plan?"

"He's holding a tournament," Ren reached into his pocket and pulled out four light blue cards. He fanned them out on the table in front of him, revealing the names of all the knights neatly printed on each card in white text. 

"It's called the Messiah Scramble. We're all cordially invited." 

Kai glanced at the cards, then looked back to Ren, "What's the purpose of it?"

Ren leaned back in his seat, "You're sharp as ever, Kai. The tournament is mostly just for show, to get strong fighters gathered in the same place. The real goal is to find a fighter that can awaken the Messiah." Ren's eyes glanced over each of the knights as he spoke.

"An old deity of Cray who shines with the light of truth."

\---

"And! Fighting for the first time live, the dark horses of the Scramble, hand-picked by Tatsunagi Takuto himself: the Quatre Knights!" 

The roar of the crowd swelled in Leon's ears as he, Kai, Ren, and Kourin stepped out of the tunnel, and the moon's shadow, into the light of day. 

In the span of a year, there was so much that Leon had forgotten about the sensations of the Earth that he nearly felt overwhelmed. The heat of the sun bearing down on his skin, the give of the dirt beneath his feet, and above all, the salty, humid breeze that kissed his hair and whispered "welcome home", more comforting than any hug. 

(Child of the wind, he had once been called, so tenderly.)

"You sure look happy, Leo Leo," Ren whispered from his left. 

Leon chose not to justify Ren's comment with an answer. Instead, he relished in the feeling of everything around him. 

Ren simply smiled. 

The four of them fell in line next to five other participants, making a crowd of nine to start the boisterous opening ceremony. 

Kai's eyes drifted up the balcony situated above the stage where Tatsunagi Takuto stood, flanked on either side by Suiko and Rekka. He looked much the same as Kai remembered - small-statured, but poised, with an air of dignity about him. However, his usually serene expression was marred by a look of unease as he took stock of the fighters that stood before him. 

They had been told that there were to be sixteen potential fighters vying to awaken Messiah. 

And if Takuto’s expression was anything to go off of, cutting down the number to only nine wasn't part of the plan. Suiko's lips moved as she murmured something to Takuto that only deepened the crease of his brows.

The growing pause from the commentators as they reconfigured the bracket situation was broken by the piercing squawk of a bird as it fluttered directly over their microphones. 

It was a beautiful creature, with snow-white wings that cut through the wind elegantly until it fluttered down to perch on the edge of a black-coated shoulder. 

Kai's throat seized up on sight. 

The man stood at the lip of the tunnel with seven blue entry cards held loosely in his hand. He cut an imposing figure with his black coat, pale hair, and striking red eyes. With all the stadium's eyes on him, he opened his hand and let the cards clatter gracelessly to the ground. 

"I've saved you all the effort of a first round," he announced in a voice that bled confidence, "I, Ibuki Kouji, have qualified to enter this tournament."

Suiko stepped forward with a simmering disdain in her ice-blue eyes, "You can't just do as you please."

"I've seen and heard them," Ibuki's voice rang out across the stadium, "Planet Brandt, and the unit's voices."

Three security guards in black suits moved in to restrain the intruder, but Ibuki deftly dodged out of their grips, sidestepping around all three of them carefully in a pattern that made them flail over their own feet. A flawlessly executed triple ankle-break. Once they were downed, he wasted no time in strutting forward from the pile of guards, right to the front of the participant line. 

Then, for the briefest moment, Ibuki made direct eye-contact with Kai. 

There was a crack in the veil of Ibuki's confidence, a grimace that Kai would have missed if he hadn't had all his attention on him. But no sooner than it had appeared, it also disappeared as Ibuki passed by Kai towards the end of the line. 

"Kai."

Kai looked to his left, where Kourin stood. 

"Do you know him?"

Not trusting his own voice, Kai nodded. 

It had been years since he had last seen Ibuki – shy, sensitive Ibuki, who always seemed ready to jump a foot in the air – but Kai's memories were still strong. 

After all, very few people could truly forget their first encounter with Vanguard. 

\---

Katsuragi Kamui was, just behind Christopher Lo, the youngest player present at the Messiah Scramble tournament. 

That fact didn't phase him. 

After several seasons of competitive play and being looked down upon for his age, he was more than used to how tournaments usually went. He was the ace of Team Handsome, for Cray's sake. He and his team had been consistently ranked top five in the Japanese Nationals and even competed in the Asia Circuit. The Messiah Scramble was not his first cardfight by a long shot. 

However, when his first opponent, Soryu Leon, stepped up to the table he had nearly been blown away. 

Literally. 

The moment Leon reached the edge of the table, a gust of wind howled through the air and buffeted against Kamui's clothes and hair. He instinctively reached out and grabbed onto the handles of the fight table with both hands in an attempt to keep from falling down on his butt. 

Then, just when he felt like his grip was about to falter, the wind died down. 

"What the-," Kamui muttered, confused. 

"Katsuragi Kamui, yes?"

Kamui looked up to find Leon's violet eyes, gazing at him intently. 

Instinctively, he stood up straighter and squared his shoulders. When he spoke, he purposefully pitched down his voice for an extra edge, "Yeah. That's me."

“I wonder what kind of wind you will show me today.”

"Huh?" 

Leon pulled out his deck, placed down his starting vanguard, deftly shuffled his cards, and set them down next to the guardian circle. He gestured to the deck with an open palm, signaling for Kamui to shuffle it too, a standard etiquette for tournament play to prevent forced shuffles or card stacking. 

"My name is Soryu Leon," he introduced himself with a distinctly assertive tone, "I am one of the Quatre Knights."

Kamui's eyes fell on the deck, awaiting his hand. Unconsciously, he smiled. 

It seemed like this wasn't Leon's first tournament either. 

"Quatre Knights, huh? I don't know what the big deal is about you guys, but," Kamui reached over and set his own deck down, opposite of Leon’s in invitation, "I don't intend to lose."

The barest hint of a smile tugged the corner of Leon's lips, "Very well." 

Kamui and Leon quickly shuffled each other’s decks and after a quick round of rock-paper-scissors, it was decided that Leon would go first. 

Right when they had finished, the voices of Ultra Rare blasted over the speakers, "Fighters! Start!"

"Stand up! Vanguard!"

"Stand up! My Vanguard!"

Kamui looked at the starter Leon had just flipped over: Blue Storm Cadet, Anos. 

So he played Aqua Force, then. 

It wasn't a match-up that Kamui had a lot of experience with, but he understood the general gist of the clan's mechanics – multiple attacks that hit hard and fast. 

The two traded blows for the first few turns. Without the safety of familiarity, Kamui took a gamble and opted to play aggressively. By the time the fourth round turn had come and both stood at Legion, Kamui had managed to push the score to 3-4 in his favor.

"With a boost from Raizer Crew, Pheonixraizer Drill-wing attacks to your Vanguard!" Kamui declared, "Skill activated!" He flipped over two cards in his damage zone and re-stood both of the rear guards in his front row once more.

Aqua force may have been a clan that revolved around multiple, wave-like attacks, but when it came to the sheer numbers, Nova Grappler was no slouch either. Kamui smiled cheekily and puffed his chest out with pride at that fact. 

Altogether, his Vanguards’ attack was 28,000 strong, and Leon’s hand only had four cards left, not accounting for the two more attacks that Kamui had geared up to go. 

Leon surveyed the field, carefully weighing his options, then declared, "No guard."

"Drive check," Kamui flipped over the top card of his deck: a Sheildraizer. No trigger, but still a quintet wall. 

"Second check," he flipped over the second card to reveal a critical trigger, Meteorizer. Kamui smiled, "Critical trigger! I'll put the critical on my Vanguard and the power to my rearguard Flame-wing."

Leon flinched at the sight of the trigger as if the attack Kamui had dealt had physically hurt him somehow. He quickly regained his composure, though, and set his gloved hand on the top of his deck.

If both damage checks went through, then Leon would have six damage and the game would be over. 

"Damage check," Leon turned over the top card of his deck: a heal trigger, Blue Storm Soldier, Kitchen Sailor. 

“Figures that’d happen now,” Kamui said with a wry smile. While it would’ve been nice if the match had been set right then and there, lucky triggers popping in was just a part of Vanguard. It was part of what made the game so enticing to play. Still, with two attacks left in his arsenal, Kamui didn't linger too much on Leon's luck. 

"The power goes to my Vanguard," Leon’s voice sounded strained as spoke, "And I heal one damage." After he had set the damage aside, Leon paused and took a deep breath. 

"Second check," the second card yielded a draw trigger, Battle Siren, Mallika. "The power goes to my Vanguard again and I draw."

Kamui clicked his tongue, loudly. 

Getting a heal trigger was one thing, but with two triggers' worth of power on Leon's Vanguard, the rearguards Kamui restood would just barely have enough power to deal damage. It was frustrating. Still, there was only one way that Kamui chose to fight: always forward. 

"Attack!" He yelled as he set his units to rest. 

But, as he had predicted, Leon had an answer to his call, "Guard!"

After his fifth attack was blocked, Kamui finally relented, "Turn end."

A soft breeze whistled by again as Leon stood his units again. 

This far into the fight, Kamui was certain: there was something about Leon that struck a chord within him. Something familiar, but just out of the reach of his memory. 

"Soryu Leon, was it?" Kamui asked. 

"Yes," Leon replied succinctly as drew a card. 

"Have we met before?"

Leon froze. His violet eyes slowly rose from the cards in his hand to Kamui's face. Kamui swallowed instinctively, mildly discomforted by the sheer intensity in Leon's calculating gaze. 

Eventually, he responded, "No. I don't believe we have."

"That's strange," Kamui muttered. His head faintly hurt from thinking, but he had been sure that there was something about his opponent that was too familiar to ignore. Then, an idea hit him, "Do you know the Chen twins, by any chance then?"

"Who?" Leon whispered the question, just barely loud enough for Kamui to hear. 

"The Chen twins," Kamui repeated, "Ah, what were their names... Jivian and Sharlena? Juliana and Sharmen?"

"Jilian and Sharlene."

Kamui perked up, "Oh! So you do know them! My team fought against them at the last Asia Circuit. Your playstyle is pretty similar – they both played Aqua Force too. They were pretty strong."

Leon closed his eyes and held his cards close to his chest as he replied, "Yes. I'm sure they were."

The silence stretched on, with Leon seemingly frozen in place. 

Kamui stood, confused by the sudden change that had taken over his opponent. He was just on the verge of speaking when the spell was broken and Leon looked up sharply. 

There was a smile on his face and a storm in his eyes. 

"The wind will blow four times," he said ominously. As if to punctuate his point, the breeze whistled by again, carding through Leon's blond bangs. 

He called out two rearguards to the field, depleting his hand to nothing. Like Kamui the turn before, there was a sureness to Leon’s stance that declared that he was ready to go all out and leave nothing behind. 

The wind had begun to stir. 

“Zaharias attacks your Vanguard, boosted by Wheel Assault.”

“No guard,” Kamui slid a card into his damage zone, triggerless, bringing the damage score to 4-5. 

Around him, the eddies of the passing breeze picked up. 

“Tidal Assault,” Leon pointed, “Attacks your rearguard Flame-wing.”

Kamui glanced at his hand contemplatively, then retired the card. 

"Tidal Assault's skill. It stands after it attacks and loses five thousand power," Leon intoned as he re-stood the card, “Boost, attack.”

“No guard. Damage check,” Kamui flipped the card and visibly deflated a little, “No trigger.” He slid the card into his damage zone, bringing the tally to 5-5. 

Leon had performed three consecutive attacks, which only left one more attack remaining: the promised storm. 

"Tetra-burst Dragon and Starlesses' Legion attack," Leon declared, "Skill activated." He smoothly flipped over a card in his damage zone, "My Vanguard gets plus five thousand power and plus one critical."

With its own skill and a boost, the white tear dragon rose with its cannons at the ready, standing tall at 33,000 power. 

Kamui couldn't afford to take the attack, not when he already had five damage to his name. He dropped one of the cards from his hand into the drop zone and called out, "Guard! Shieldraizer! Quintet wall!"

The top five cards of his deck yielded one critical trigger, one draw trigger, a perfect guard, and two grade 3’s. Altogether, with the power of his Vanguard, the wall stood at 26,000. 

"Furthermore, guard with Meteoraizer!" Kamui slid the card from his hand to the guardian circle, rounding out his defense to a hefty 36,000. 

Leon needed at least one trigger to break through. 

"Drive check," Leon pulled the first card from the top of his deck: a Tidal Assault. No trigger. 

"Second check."

Kamui felt a bead of sweat trail down his back. The heartbeat in his ears was loud and his whole body nearly shook from anticipation. If he could just survive one more attack, then the game was almost certainly his.

Leon, in contrast to Kamui, was as calm as the sea before a surge. 

The air around them became eerily still.

He flipped the top card on his deck over to reveal a Blue Storm Soldier, Missile Trooper - a critical trigger. 

"All effects go to my Vanguard.” 

A gust of wind howled again, stronger than ever.

A sharp pain blossomed in Kamui's chest and he braced himself on the table. The searing hot pain stabbed into him like a hot knife, right at his sternum. The sensation left him gasping, but he held onto his senses and reached out for his damage checks. 

One Carvingraizer and one Twin Blader. No heal triggers. 

The match was set.

Leon silently gathered his own cards and walked over to Kamui's side. 

Kamui himself was still doubled over the edge of the table, leaning heavily on the hand rests as he fought to catch his breath. As the adrenaline from the fight died down, his limbs became laden and his mind foggy. But even though the haze, his mind still registered the sight of Leon's blond hair as he leaned down and whispered right into Kamui's ear. 

"You have a nice wind about you," he said, quizzical as ever, "As my thanks for the match, let me give you one piece of advice."

Leon's voice dropped, "Find Card Capital."

Then, without any more preamble, Leon straightened up and walked away. 

\---

“I admit I was surprised when you insisted on replacing Ishida Naoki,” Tatsunagi Takuto, from his perch on the stone chair at the head of the room, regarded Kourin, who stood with her head bowed. At his side, Suiko stood with a pinched expression on her face. 

“I had my own reasons for doing so,” Kourin replied quietly, gravely, “He is… still conflicted by the choices that we’ve made.” 

Takuto hummed softly. 

"Kourin, please lift your head.”

Kourin slowly raised her eyes to look at Takuto's face. He looked tranquil as always.

In all the time that Kourin had known Takuto, she had never learned his true age. He certainly appeared young, but never seemed to grow very much. If anything, his constant level-headed and mature persona implied that he had done all the growing that he needed to do in his lifetime. 

When Kourin had been called to the Sanctuary by Aichi’s cry, she had assumed that her memories had returned because Link Joker, the clan that Takuto has used last, had remained in the form of the Seed. Kourin hadn’t even considered that Takuto himself had still been alive after he disappeared. Or more hauntingly, _where_ he had gone to when he had left Earth, arms wrapped tight around his Void self in solemn promise. 

(Adrift, through the inky expanse of space with no sense of time or self. An infinity unto itself, with only the Void as company until their combined consciousness reached the welcoming arms of a great red wandering planet.)

Up close, Takuto seemed slightly smaller, frailer than Kourin remembered. 

The last legs of a once-brave lion, who gave his all to protect the world. 

"I had a feeling that you were at the Sanctuary," Takuto's voice broke Kourin out of her thoughts, "Is Sendou Aichi well?" 

"Yes. He sleeps soundly, even now, under the watchful guard of his knights."

Takuto rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "It's a shame that he couldn't be here. Of all the fighters I have witnessed, there are truly few of his caliber."

Kourin winced. 

"Ah, don't look so grim," Takuto waved his hand, "I'm only thinking aloud."

He looked over to the row of stained glass windows that let faint moonlight bleed into the room and settled his gaze somewhere beyond them. Where, within a grand fortress of a Sanctuary, a young boy slumbered to keep the world in balance. 

A balance, that was dangerously close to tipping over. 

Takuto pursed his lips. 

Ibuki Kouji, the chosen Vanguard of the Deletors, was an unforeseen variable. He was undoubtedly the person behind the deletion of certain clans prior to the tournament – a fact that had been confirmed by his round one match earlier that day. 

The cry of the girl whose units had been deleted still echoed harshly in Takuto's ears. 

"We don't have much time," Takuto’s voice was filled with urgency, "They're weaker than they would normally be because the Link Joker Vanguard is sealed up with Sendou, but if we don't wake Messiah soon..."

Takuto looked down, his expression a mixture of frustration, impatience, and if Kourin were more certain, guilt. 

"Then Sendou will have sealed himself for nothing."

As the last word left Takuto's lips, the ground trembled and quaked violently. The lights flickered and shut off as the shaking swelled, throwing all three people in the room to the ground. Under the duress of the shifting stonework, the stained glass windows cracked and shattered, casting thousands of colorful shards into the air. 

The moment the last shard tumbled to the ground, everything went still once more. 

"Takuto-sama!" Suiko knelt next to her master immediately, "Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine," Takuto replied, "What-"

He went still as his eyes landed on the sky. 

Beyond the jagged edges of ruined glass, the gentle ring of the full moon had been replaced by a vision of a looming red planet that washed the whole room in tarnished light. 

"Brandt," Takuto couldn't keep the edge of fear out of his voice. 

A clacking sound of shoes against stone sounded in the hallway, gradually growing louder until the wooden double doors burst open. 

Rekka leaned against the door frame, her chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath. 

"The card!" She gasped, "The Messiah card's been stolen!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So did anyone else forget that Takuto died at the end of Link Joker? Because I did. And if the Vanguard fandom wiki page on the movie is to be believed, the good folks who made Neon Messiah did too. Takuto originally wasn't supposed to make an appearance there. This has caused much grief and rewriting in the early drafts of this fic. 
> 
> Also, if Naoki feels a little too grumpy and >:( in this chapter: there is a reason for that, rest assured. 
> 
> In the meantime, here's Leon's new look: [Full Body](https://i.ibb.co/C7rt1y4/Quatre-Knight-Leon-Full-Body-01.jpg) [Headshot](https://i.ibb.co/5GmZMBh/Quatre-Knight-Leon-01.jpg). This is actually an old draft, as I currently feel the need to shave the cravat off him so he doesn't look like too much like Serra (I will retcon it, one day). Leon is an interesting character to write for, in that he doesn't have very strong characterization beyond being a windy boi, but is always around after he stops being evil in season 2. 
> 
> To add another side note... while I do play the TCG (and actually main Aqua Force), I have no idea how to write fights. Please forgive. Technically if you set out the units I used, it should make sense, ~~but for my sake, I kindly ask that no one reverse engineers the plays too much LOL.~~
> 
> Thanks again for reading! See y'all again next Sanctum Sunday ✰


	4. Narthex.Messiah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An earnest prayer that will pierce the heavens.

"What is this, an ambush?"

In the dead of the night, with the moon overhead, the knights stood in a semi-circle in one of the Waking Stadium's courtyards. Across from them, Ibuki Kouji stood against the wall with his arms crossed.

"No," Kai spoke for the group. He reached into his pocket and threw down a pile of Vanguard cards onto the ground – or, what used to be Vanguard cards. 

They had belonged to the girl who had faced Ibuki in the first round of the tournament, earlier that day. The faces of the cards had once breathed with life, their tether between Earth and Cray. But after the fight, they had been reduced to nothing more than scraps of paper, completely blackened out after being deleted by Ibuki’s hand. 

Like the cards, the owner had been broken by her loss against Ibuki and refused to take them as she hastily left in tears.

"This is an arbitration."

Ibuki spared a glance at the cards, then scoffed.

"Upset, are we?" He asked in a calloused tone, "Over a silly, pathetic little game."

Ibuki pushed off of the wall and walked over to Kai, who stood at the front of the group, and tilted his chin up in a challenge.

"It’s too bad, though. You're already too late."

The earth shifted violently as a large splinter tore diagonally across the length of the courtyard.

"Ren!" Leon reached out, grabbed the back of Ren's coat with both hands, and yanked back as hard as he could just as the ground opened up right where Ren had been standing. The two tumbled into each other and ended up in a heap on one side of the splintering ground.

On the other side, the shelf that Kai and Ibuki had been standing on slowly pitched downward, bringing Kai to his knees as he fought to keep his balance. The ground continued to sink, groaning loudly in protest, until it ground to a halt several meters down. 

A thin layer of dirt tumbled off of Kai’s once-pristine white coat as he stood up.

Some feet in front of him, Ibuki remained standing, unshaken by the quake.

Above them, the glow of Brandt baptized them both in red light. 

"Ibuki," Kai gritted.

"Brandt is upon us," Ibuki breathed in and sighed, relieved. The tension in his shoulders unfurled as he spoke, his gaze settled somewhere far beyond Kai. "Everyone can finally be freed from the chains of Vanguard."

"No. I refuse."

Ibuki’s red eyes refocused, suddenly cold and analytic as they fell upon Kai. A night and day's difference from the wide-eyed, imploring look from Kai's memories.

"I've been wondering for a while," Ibuki mused, "Why Tatsunagi Takuto would enter four, completely unknown fighters into the Messiah Scramble."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gleaming card.

"Is it because he thinks one of you can awaken this?"

The Messiah Card.

Ibuki held it in both hands, his fingertips lined up against the card's long end, ready to press down and tear it apart. The corner of his lips twitched into the beginnings of a smile. It would finally be over. With this, everyone would finally be free. _He_ would be free. 

Ibuki had just begun to apply pressure when Kai's voice interrupted.

"Flames of the apocalypse that burn away everything in this world."

Kai pressed one of his rings to his lips. The red gem and metal were searing hot against his skin.

"Now deliver the scorching heat of purgatory."

Kai clenched his fists and brought the two rings together with a deafening clang.

"Unholy Hellfire Prison."

All around them, walls of dark red flames combusted into being, angrily eating up their surroundings until nothing but a cage of fire remained. Ibuki unconsciously withdrew himself and held up an arm in defense. However, despite the oppressive heat that pressed against him, not a single lick of flames came even close to his body.

"Ibuki," Kai called out, "The time for your judgment has come."

He held out his deck and set it down on a red table that materialized beneath his fingertips, "Fight me, with Messiah on the line."

Ibuki carefully glanced around him, his expression unphased, "And if I refuse?"

"Then we can remain here in this purgatory together," Kai replied.

Red eyes narrowed. Ibuki's immediate thought was that the threat was a bluff, some diversionary tactic to force a fight and delay the impact of Brandt. However, Kai stood there with his arms crossed, unmoving. He was completely resolved to spend the rest of his life rotting in a cage if it meant that Ibuki would rot with him.

Ibuki clicked his tongue loudly and pulled out his deck.

"Fine, then. You believe that you can save Cray?" Ibuki slammed his deck down on the red table in front of him, "Let's see your last, pitiful struggle then. I'll delete you and see to it that Vanguard is destroyed."

Their twin cries echoed in tandem:

"Stand up! The Vanguard!" 

\---

As Kai recalled, Ibuki had been a good fighter for his age when they were younger. He was inexperienced, as they all were, but understood how to build momentum better than either Kai or Miwa had when they played together in elementary school. 

If Kai closed his eyes, he could still recall Ibuki’s red eyes peeking out from under his shaggy fringe as he bored holes into the cards fanned out in his hands; carefully awaiting the most opportune moment to use each card. 

He had waited so long, after all, just to have someone else to play with. 

Back then, Ibuki hadn’t wanted to squander his chance to enjoy the game before Kai or Miwa got tired of him like he suspected that they eventually would. 

The Ibuki standing before Kai was like an entirely different person. 

“Daunting Deletor, Oksizz’s skill!" Ibuki snarled. He flipped over three cards in his drop zone and slid one of his rearguards into his soul – all of them mere sacrifices for his cause. "Oskizz gets an extra ten thousand power and-"

He jabbed his finger in the direction of Kai's board, "I delete your Vanguards!"

As the twin cards on Kai's Vanguard circle flipped over, drained of all their power and abilities, he felt strength sap out of his body too. Even within his prison, they still stood on the grounds of the Waking Stadium, where their battles and those on Cray reverberated in chorus.

Still, Kai stood his ground, unwilling to crumble as he kept his eyes only on the opponent before him.

Ibuki found his persistence bothersome, like the sensation of an ant crawling on his skin. 

"That look of yours," Ibuki remarked as he called out three more cards, "makes me feel sick."

Kai pursed his lips, but said nothing in response, much like he had done before for all of Ibuki’s other jabs during their match. 

Ibuki clicked his tongue, clearly irritated by Kai’s silence, "It doesn't matter. I'll be done with you and your precious little card game soon."

"Juxtapose Deletor, Gaele's skill!" he pointed a finger at both of Kai's front rearguards, one for each Gaele that he had called out, "Lock."

Where Ibuki's board was now full of Deletors on almost every circle, Kai's board was almost completely filled with locked cards. The only card besides his Vanguard that remained face-up was a single Flame of Hope, Aermo in his back row. 

"Attack," Ibuki declared as he set one of his Gaeles to rest.

"No guard."

The attack brought Kai to five damage. The edge of the precipice between another turn and defeat.

"Daunting Deletor, Oksizz attacks.”

A dark, looming shadow stretched behind Ibuki, dancing across the warping flames of the prison walls. An echo of Oksizz’s harrowing visage. The shadow grew, spreading across the walls as it reached out to close in on Kai and swallow him whole-

"Perfect Guard," Kai intoned as he set down the card, a Wyvern Guard Barri.

At once, the shadow dispelled, fragmented into slivers that scurried back to Ibuki’s side before disappearing completely.

Ibuki gritted his teeth and slammed his fingers down on the top of his deck, "Drive check!" 

Neither card yielded a trigger, making Ibuki curse underneath his breath. He was so close, just so close to being free from it all. He just needed one more damage, one more, “Attack!”

"Guard!" Kai dropped all of his remaining cards to just barely guard the final attack. 

Ibuki’s grimace gave way to a heavy frown as he forced out, “Turn end.”

Kai sucked in a breath. The earth had stopped shaking some time ago, but his legs still trembled from the effort of standing. Every damage taken on the island’s soil gutted his insides into a knot, each damage more painful than the last. At five total, Kai thought it was a wonder that he managed to stay on his feet. Even if his oath and the Sanctuary’s power made him functionally immortal, it did nothing to shield him from pain. 

“Stand and draw-”

"Why?"

Kai's eyes were drawn back up.

Ibuki’s whole body was drawn taut, like a bowstring. Even from a distance, Kai could see him shaking from pent-up anger, "Why do you keep struggling when you've nearly lost already? Does this pathetic card game really mean that much to you?"

There was a pregnant pause as Kai stared down at Ibuki, hard. When he finally opened his mouth to reply, he uttered only two words, “It does.” 

Then, much quieter, “It was something that someone gave to me, years ago.”

There was a visible snap in Ibuki’s face at Kai’s answer. The accumulation of all Ibuki’s rage ignited at once as he seethed, “Is that so? Then I pity you and whatever fool thought _this_ was worth sharing.”

“Do you really hate Vanguard that much, Ibuki?” Kai asked sharply.

Without hesitation, Ibuki replied, “More than anything.”

“Why?”

“Why? You’re asking that now?” Ibuki huffed a muted laugh. 

Kai let his silence speak for him until Ibuki relented, “Fine, I’ll indulge you then.” 

His red eyes dropped to the field in front of him, where his units sat at rest, “I don’t have a single good memory from Vanguard.” 

Despite the forceful tone of Ibuki’s voice, Kai noted the subtle inward curl of his shoulders as he spoke, an old habit of Ibuki's from when they were younger, “A game like this is supposed to be fun, isn’t it? A plaything for kids and bored teenagers with too much time?” Ibuki scoffed, “I have never enjoyed a single Vanguard match.” 

Slowly, then all at once, Kai’s imagination drew together the threads of Ibuki's words.

“If I won, I was hated for winning. If I lost, then I was accused of purposely going easy on my opponents,” the pain, the _defeat_ in Ibuki’s voice was palpable, “No matter what I did, I was hated by my peers.”

If he breathed even a word to his teachers, then he was the one that had been scolded for having no tact. It had been no wonder that Ibuki had decided to quit sooner than later, but by the time he had sworn off Vanguard, he had been labeled an outcast. A pariah. The strange child that no one wanted to be friends with. 

What a slap in the face it had been, for Vanguard to become so popular, so universally praised for its inclusivity, years after Ibuki had quit. The root of his torment had been lambasted on every billboard and street corner as if to taunt him. 

“So when I first heard the voice, I didn’t hesitate to take the chance,” Ibuki traced his finger along the edge of a gold bangle that peeked out from underneath his coat sleeve, “To burn Vanguard into the ground once and for all, consequences be damned.”

Not for the first time, Kai found himself speechless.

Anything he tried to say withered away in his throat before he had the chance to even open his mouth. Kai felt keenly that nothing he could have said would’ve been able to pierce past the deep-seated hatred that Ibuki harbored towards Vanguard. Kai's own shortcoming with spoken word had never felt so acute. 

He didn’t have Ren’s buoyant flair or Leon’s commanding presence, nor did he have Naoki’s brazen honesty. 

Least of all, Kai didn’t have the same unwavering spirit that Aichi had had, when he reached out to help those around him. 

Kai could almost see it: Aichi, blue eyes ablaze with determination, his hair buffeted by the wind as he braved through, even in the face of imminent destruction. If Aichi were there, standing next to Kai, then Kai was certain that Aichi would've known what to say, known how to disentangle the threads of Ibuki's broken voice, how to break through to his fractured heart.

_"No matter how powerful you or your opponents are, if you both go all-out and don't hold back, then it's at that moment you can become friends with anyone!"_

But Aichi wasn't there. 

His pure force of will may have been able to turn the tides and forge a path built by bonds and connection, but not Kai.

No, because the path Kai walked - still walked on - had always been one of solitude. 

And now, atonement.

"Ibuki," his voice nearly cracked as he spoke, "I'm sorry."

Ibuki froze, completely taken aback by the sudden apology. 

Kai thought back to when he had been younger.

After his parents had died, he hadn’t had the capacity to think about Ibuki at all. Grief had muddled his memories of that period of his life into an unflattering slideshow as he was passed from one relative to the next. An upbringing that inevitably bled into his actions: his preference to be self-reliant. His tendency towards harsh bluntness. The way that he stood on the fringes, even when surrounded by others. 

Kai Toshiki knew full well, what it was like to be alone. 

So it wasn’t hard to imagine how Ibuki must have suffered from the loss of one of his only friends. Let alone, how much more painful it would have been if Ibuki had never had any friends in the first place. 

“You were alone,” Kai stated more than said. 

“Shut up,” Ibuki muttered darkly. 

“It was painful.”

“I said shut up!" Ibuki suddenly yelled. He pressed a hand to his temple, his shoulders shaking.

Kai thinned his lips and repeated, "I'm sorry, Ibuki."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Ibuki curled into himself, hugging his shoulders, "You don't even know me!"

"I don’t, “ Kai tamped down the memories in his throat, and hardened his eyes, "But I will remember this match. And I will remember you, from now on.” 

A tear welled up and slowly slid down Ibuki’s haggard face. He touched his cheek and flinched when his fingertips came away wet. A bone-deep ache shook him to the core. A flame of nostalgia, burning with a familiarity - a person? A voice? 

"W-who…?" Ibuki whispered.

Kai looked at his hand. Ibuki sat at four damage, which meant that Kai had to deal two damage to clinch the match. A tall order, considering that his entire front row had been locked up, bar his Vanguard. 

But more than ever, Kai felt like the path before him was clear. 

"Perdition Emperor Dragon, Dragonic Overlord the Great and Neoflame attack your rearguard Gaele.”

Ibuki jolted out of his reverie and jerked his gaze to his field. After a moment of deliberation, he choked out, "No guard."

Kai flipped over the top card of his deck: Embodiment of Spear, Tahr - a critical trigger.

"All effects to my Vanguards." The second check yielded no trigger. 

Ibuki set the retired card in his drop zone. Even though the strange nostalgia that bubbled to the point of overflowing inside of him, he found himself wondering, _Is that all your Vanguard amounts to?_ If Kai had just attacked Ibuki’s Vanguard, then he might’ve had a chance. 

"The Great's skill. Retire your other Gaele," Kai recited as if reading Ibuki’s mind.

"And," he flipped over one card in his damage zone and discarded two cards from his hand, "Rise once again, raging perdition dragons."

Like a fire that refused to die, Kai's Vanguards rose.

"Boosted by Aermo, my Vanguards attack!"

"G-guard!" Ibuki stuttered as he dropped almost all of the cards in his hand.

His wall stood 41,000 strong, while Kai's Vanguards stood at 31,000.

It all came down to triggers. If even one of Kai's checks didn’t reveal a trigger, then Ibuki would survive.

"First check."

A second Embodiment of Spear Tahr, a second critical trigger. 

Kai breathed in and let the heated air from his prison walls fill his lungs, like a dragon, readying its flames. 

"Second check."

Dragon Monk, Genjo. A heal trigger.

"Everything goes to my Vanguard."

The all-consuming fire of Kai’s twin dragons ravaged Ibuki’s Vanguard, delivering strike after strike mercilessly until not even the ashes remained. 

Ibuki’s arm wrenched forward, mechanically as he drew his damage checks: one Breaking Deletor Gatario and one Daunting Deletor, Oksizz. 

At the mere sight of the Oksizz, Ibuki voice quivered, “No, no, no, please, please.” 

He dropped the card and gripped his head in both hands, “Please, don’t-” His voice was cut short by a howl that tore itself from his throat. Ibuki collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain as he dug his fingers into his hair. 

"Ibuki!" Kai cried out. He raced forward when his eyes caught on a familiar shadow that loomed over Ibuki's form. It was sharper, clearer than it had been before, revealing the creature’s - Oksizz’s - harrowingly skeletal body and sharp claws that held Ibuki tightly in their grasp. 

"So it was you," Kai gritted his teeth so hard he tasted blood.

In response, a hauntingly guttural laugh responded as it entangled its gleaming claws tighter over Ibuki.

Without hesitation, Kai held out his hand, two fingers poised at the shadow, and yelled, "Judgement!"

\---

"Oof- here we go," Ren caught Kai right as he materialized back to the Waking stadium grounds.

Kai, woozy as he was from the fight, pushed himself off of Ren as fast as possible. There was only one thing on his mind, "Ibuki-"

He whipped his head around to see Leon slowly lowering Ibuki's body to the ground.

"He's breathing," Leon reported, “Just unconscious.”

The shadow hanging over Ibuki was gone. On the ground, the shards of a golden bangle that had been on Ibuki's wrist laid in pieces. Relief rocked Kai and finally brought him to his knees.

"Whoa there," Ren knelt down next to Kai, "Are you alright?"

Numbly, Kai nodded.

Ren smiled. "That's good. Now, I don't want to ruin your mood Kai, but," he pointed back up at the sky, where Brandt loomed, closer than ever, "What do you think we should do about that?"

Despite their impending doom, part of Kai thought that the image of Brandt in the sky was beautiful to look at. Humanity had always looked to the sky for errant celestial figures, be it shooting stars or comets. What some ancient star-gazer wouldn't give to see the sight of Brandt in all its glory, fuller than any blood moon, he wondered.

Kai's eyes dropped down to the card he held in his hand.

The Messiah card, as promised if he had won, still gleamed so brightly that Kai couldn't even make out what the unit looked like.

Kai had never been good at asking, never been good at reaching out after all that he had been through as a child. If anything, he had deafened the voices of all those around him in his single-minded pursuit of strength, his pursuit for control over even a fraction of his life. 

But for the sake of all the people that he had wronged, in the name of all the people he still owed...

… Kai closed his eyes and prayed for the first time.

\---

A blinding light, warm and temperate, like the sun on a lovely spring day.

Kai didn't dare open his eyes, for fear that it would disappear, just as quickly as it had come.

"I have heard your prayers, Kai Toshiki."

The voice was calm, but firm. Almost motherly in nature. The light that danced beyond Kai’s eyelids soothed the pain from his last fight, erasing the sting until he felt like he had been reformed anew.

"Are you… Messiah?" he breathed out, afraid to speak.

"I am called Harmonics Messiah."

Kai sighed, his eyes still closed shut, "You've awoken?"

"Yes," Messiah replied, "Your earnest prayer resounded within me. Have faith, Kai Toshiki, and your words will always reach me."

He had done it. Kai had done it. With Messiah awake, Brandt would be a threat no longer. Cray, and Vanguard would be safe under her protection. 

"But," Messiah continued, "Lose faith and your voice will be lost, never to break through the guilt in your heart."

Kai fell mute once more. Of course, Messiah, a primordial deity of truth and creation, would be at least somewhat omniscient. Even if she wasn't, Kai was sure that she would've been able to see right through him.

"Perhaps," Kai replied, "However, this is the path I've chosen to take."

Messiah was silent.

“I won’t make the same mistakes he made. I intend to end this cycle, for good.” 

Gravely, Messiah replied, "The path you are walking, young Vanguard, is one that none can follow."

“Then so be it.”

The warmth swelled, shining through the darkness with the light of truth, a harmony of restoration that mended the deleted ties between Earth and Cray. As Messiah healed the rift, Kai was inclined to believe that she had said something more to him. 

However, as it were, he had already shut off his ears once more, making him both blind and deaf to her voice.

\---

Ibuki shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as he debated what to say.

A thanks was definitely in order, and there was an apology already on his tongue, but his curiosity brazenly pushed all of his thoughts aside as he blurted, "Who are you?"

Kai, to his credit, seemed unphased by the sudden question, "I know it may be hard to believe, but we're not enemies."

"I-" Ibuki sighed, "I understand that, now. You have my sincere thanks, but, I just need to know. Why is it that you seem so…"

Ibuki scrunched his brows as he thought of the right word, "Familiar?"

Kai's eyes widened minutely, before smoothing back over into his still, passive expression.

"Kai."

"Huh?" Ibuki was caught off guard.

"Kai Toshiki," Kai iterated, "I am one of the Quatre Knights. It's our duty to protect the peace of Vanguard, on both Earth and Cray."

"Kai Toshiki," Ibuki rolled the name off of his tongue. The look of confusion on his face reminded Kai of a younger Ibuki who always twisted his face into a knot whenever he thought too hard. It was clear that he wasn't completely satisfied with Kai's answer, but Kai couldn't tell him much more.

So, he decided to give something else instead.

"Here, take this."

Ibuki’s brows shot into his bangs as his eyes landed on what Kai held out, "The Messiah card?"

Kai half-smiled at the reaction, "Messiah represents rebirth and harmony. I think it would definitely suit you better than me."

Ibuki paused, then gingerly reached out and grasped the edge of the card. Right when his fingertips closed around it, a soft glow began to emanate from it.

When the light faded, the card in Ibuki's hand was unrecognizable from before.

"Neon Messiah," Kai breathed, "A grade… zero?"

Ibuki inspected the card, then smiled, "My, my. What a small savior."

He flipped it around so that Kai could see it, "But, perhaps this signals the beginning of a new Vanguard generation."

"Yeah," Kai nodded hopefully. With this, his duty on Earth was complete. "Well then, it's time for me to leave-"

"Will I see you again?"

Ibuki's red eyes were wide and imploring.

Kai sighed. He had always been weak to Ibuki and Miwa's pleas, something that hadn't changed no matter how many years had passed.

"With hope, no," he said curtly.

"But, if Cray or Vanguard are ever threatened again, the Quatre Knights will always answer the call."

\---

"Is it okay to leave things like that?" Ren asked as Kai walked back from the pier.

"It's fine," Kai replied.

Ren hummed lightly, "So, what are you going to do with those?" He pointed to Kai's pocket, where the confiscated Deletor deck that Ibuki had used sat.

"I haven't decided," Kai admitted, "But I suspect that there should be a way to seal it within the Sanctuary."

"I see. It looks like the number of things that we're supposed to guard has increased," Ren sighed, "How troublesome." Despite his words and irked tone, Kai sensed that it was just part of Ren's usual front. 

"Where are the others?"

"Kou-chan is talking with Takuto-kun and Leo Leo is over there dipping his feet in his beloved salt bath," Ren pointed.

Sure enough, at the edge of the island, Leon sat on a broad, flat rock with his shoes and socks neatly placed next to him. Even though Kai couldn't see his face, he suspected that Leon's expression must have been at ease.

It almost felt wrong to bother him, but their place to be was no longer on the island, nor on Earth.

"Go get Kourin. I'll get Leon," Kai ordered.

"Alrighty," Ren replied in sing-song as he skipped off towards the ruins of the Waking Stadium. 

Kai watched just long enough to see Ren slow his footsteps as he slinked into the bluish shade of the stadium’s open walkways. Then, he turned around and made his way over to Leon. 

As he approached, Kai purposely scuffed his shoes against the ground to make his presence known. Right as he came into earshot, Leon spoke. 

"It's time to go, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Very well, then."

Leon pulled his feet out of the water. Up close, Kai could see how lax Leon's shoulders were and how much brighter his complexion was with the ocean breeze buffeting his blond hair. Not for the first time, Kai wondered why the other knights had chosen to follow through with the oath.

Leon, in particular, looked so much more alive on Earth.

“Sailors in the west have a saying,” Leon spoke, breaking Kai out of his thoughts. Leon looked out at the burnish red hue of the rising sun, “A superstition, to take warning when the sunrise is red, like this.”

“That’s ominous,” Kai commented. 

“Indeed,” Leon murmured, “Although, I believe the saying also promises good sailing weather when the sky is red at night. By that logic, we’re due for both good and ill fortune.”

"If that's the case," Kai looked out to the sky, "then we will weather whatever comes."

A flash of uncertainty creased Leon's face. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something, but kept his lips firmly shut in favor of nodding silently. 

The red light of the morning sun washed over the deep blue waters and over their faces as they looked out towards the horizon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a big dum dum and accidentally deleted a full day's worth of edits on this chapter today while going through it, so here's a soft reminder to _always_ back up your files and save often! Or use a cloud service. Those are nice too. 
> 
> In lieu of this not being one of the titular "knight chapters", here's Kai's Neo Quatre Knight design since he was featured a lot: [Full Body](https://i.ibb.co/ggFPJQW/Quatre-Knight-Kai-Full-body-01.jpg). 
> 
> The plot pot is certainly simmering now that the fic is approaching the halfway point now. Will Naoki finally get some writing time? Will Ren's secret plan amount to anything?? Whatever could Kai's words to Messiah mean??? Will Leon ever be able to jump into the ocean and be _part of that world_ ever again????
> 
> The jury is still out on that last one, but here's to hoping that the next few chapters start rolling out more answers than questions haha.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope to see y'all again next Sanctum Sunday ✰


	5. Thunderclap Prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where words fail.

“I’m going to the Messiah Scramble in your place.”

“What?” Naoki bristled. All around him, static filled the air with the ebb and flow of his prison’s power. “What do you mean you’re going in my place?” 

“Because you can’t control yourself, Naoki,” Kourin replied sternly. 

Naoki glared at her, “Don’t give me that. You’re treating me like I’m some brat-”

“Because that’s how you’re acting,” Kourin bellowed, “Like a _child._ ”

“Leon likely can’t feel in his hand right now, because you can’t control your emotions,” her heel made a loud clack as she stepped forward intimidatingly, green eyes bearing down onto his, “If you can’t keep yourself in check in front of your fellow knights, what makes you think that I can entrust this responsibility to you?”

Naoki’s face curdled as shock and frustration gave way to anger. The charged air around crackled threateningly, making all the hairs on the back of Kourin’s next stand up pin-straight. For a palpable moment, she wondered if Naoki was on the verge of discharging again when he abruptly jerked away and began to stomp down the hall with his hands in his pockets.

Just before he turned, though, Kourin caught a glance of the exact moment his face fell.

“Naoki.”

Naoki stopped at the sound of Kourin’s voice. 

Kourin pursed her lips. She had been adamantly patient with him ever since the knighting ceremony, even more so than the other knights. Just earlier that same morning she had woken him out of a cold sweat and gently held his hands; Where, a whole year’s worth of self-inflicted welts from his own fingernails that had calloused over unattractively on his palms.

While Kourin had chosen for herself to remain at the Sanctuary, Naoki was a victim of circumstance. More importantly, they had been teammates, friends, before the oath. 

So of course it hurt her, to see him regress into a resentful shadow of his former self. 

But she had also promised to Aichi, the former Knights, and now the new Knights, that she would uphold the Sanctuary until the end. An end that she feared was much sooner than she envisioned, with the knowledge that Tatsunagi Takuto had returned. As such, Kourin urgently felt that she had to act accordingly, even if it meant being harsher than she wanted.

“Don’t forget that you are one of Aichi’s knights.”

“I know,” Naoki replied gruffly. 

“Then start acting like it.”

Naoki whipped around, thin ripples of electricity surging underneath his fingertips, dancing across his gauntlets-

But Kourin had already turned around and begun to walk away. 

With each click of her heels, the rushing blood in Naoki’s ears slowly diminished until he stood in the silent hallway, alone. As he sighed harshly, the anger that he felt towards Kourin had faded just enough for him to feel bad.

She had been right, of course. She almost always was. 

\---

"Damage check," Miwa flipped over the top card of his deck. No trigger. He slid the card into his damage zone, next to four other cards.

"Damn it," Kamui muttered. Even going all-out, he hadn't been able to clinch the match.

"Nice try, kid," Miwa smiled, "You almost had me there."

"Hey! Don't call me kid - I'm the one and only Kamui the Great of Team Handsome," Kamui half stood from the table, one hand splayed over his puffed out chest, "And more importantly-" He jabbed a finger in Miwa's direction, "Who the heck are you?! I've never heard of a 'Miwa Taishi' before."

"Oops, looks like I made him mad," Miwa chuckled under his breath.

From her perch at the counter, Misaki sighed, "Give it a rest. He only plays when he feels like it.”

“Come on now, you’re making me sound stingy,” Miwa jibed. 

“In the past year, he’s only played fourteen matches,” she continued, unrelenting.

"Only fourteen?!" Kamui exclaimed. His eyes bugged out, astonished by the number, "How do you only play fourteen matches in a whole year?" 

"There's not really much to it, kid. I just play whenever I feel like it, just like she said. Usually win, too," Miwa added with a wink.

"You lost one match in January,” Misaki recalled, “Anjou Mamoru was his name, I believe,"

"Ah right, that guy," Miwa nodded nonchalantly, "Strong Kagero player, that one. Definitely going places."

Misaki opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. 

Miwa was not a disingenuous person, as far as she knew, and his cheery exterior was as true to him as the sky was blue. However, in the time that she had known him, she had caught glimpses of something else that surfaced from time to time. A certain gravity that belied his smile. 

His match with Anjou Mamoru had been a close one. A whole crowd of spectators had gathered to see it, drawn in by the sheer intensity of their plays. However, when everything had concluded and Miwa had shaken Mamoru's hand, Misaki couldn’t help but sense that Miwa had been disappointed. Not by his loss, but of his opponent.

He hadn’t been fighting Kagero players exclusively just to find one strong enough to beat him.

He had been looking for a specific Kagero player who skirted the edges of his memory.

That was the whole reason why he kept coming to Card Capital and religiously updated his deck, even though he barely fought anyone. Misaki knew because it was for the same reason that she carried around and updated her own unplayed deck too.

She also knew that that was the reason why Miwa agreed to fight Katsuragi Kamui.

Boisterous, young, Kamui who definitely did not play Kagero.

But whose voice still echoed like a far off memory.

"Stand and draw."

"Hey! You still haven't answered my question," Kamui protested.

Miwa looked over his hand once, "You mentioned when you came in that you were looking for someone, right?"

Kamui blinked, "Uh, yeah. I did."

"Well, if you don’t mind, I think I'd like to know more about that once we're done," Miwa smiled. There was a shift in the air around him as he spoke. The stirring of a sleeping dragon, readied to rouse from his slumber at last.

"Final turn."

\---

Naoki didn't really believe in the patrols that Kai and Leon did all the time. 

They were in a Sanctuary that was in its own space-time corridor for Cray’s sake. Not to mention the sheer amount of precautions that they had taken in fortifying the whole place. As it were, the “Sanctuary” was more like a labyrinth with its complex network of sprawling hallways. 

But in the absence of the other knights and Kourin, Naoki found himself roaming the corridors of the Sanctuary, if just to escape the increasingly closed-in feeling that chased him in his own room. A feeling that had refused to go away, even after he had busted down every column and pillar that he could put a fist through. 

Still, he found that he could only wander so long until his feet carried him to the one place where all the knights returned: the main chamber, where Aichi slept.

Ever since the oath, Naoki never felt like he had the courage to face the throne directly, so he walked forward and plopped himself down against one of the pillars to the side.

Eventually, the silence compelled him to speak. 

"'M sorry, Aichi.”

Naoki’s mumble echoed in the chamber feebly. 

"I shouldn’t have forgotten you.” Nevermind that Aichi had wanted to be forgotten. 

“I shouldn’t have taken so long.” Fooling around, trying to swim against the current of the ocean as if he could just get through everything with sheer willpower alone. 

He really thought that he had grown, that he had changed after his victory against Serra. Naoki had wanted to believe that he had internalized what Leon had told him during their retreat on the island. That he had the ability to adapt his stubborn virtue and rise to the challenge instead of swinging recklessly over and over. And yet, and yet-

“I should’ve done _something_.”

Naoki had seen it - they had all been there, they had all seen it - when Aichi smiled as he thanked Kai for trying. That was the kicker, the cherry on top: for how much Kai blamed himself for losing the fight, at least he had tried. In the end, Naoki hadn’t even been able to do that. 

No, he had done exactly the same thing that he had done years ago when Aichi had been cornered against a wall by little boys with egos too big for their britches. 

He let it happen. 

Because Naoki hadn’t wanted to forget a second time. Hadn't wanted to return to the doldrums of his old life, going through each day without feeling anything. But above even that, he hadn’t wanted to leave Aichi and Kourin alone in the godforsaken Sanctuary. 

Choosing to stay, however, meant abandoning all else. 

A hefty consequence that Naoki realized all too late. 

"If I had just done something, anything," Naoki murmured, "Then would we still be here?"

When he had fought against Serra, the driving force that pushed him on was the desire to talk directly to Aichi again. He had felt so strongly that he couldn’t forget until he did. In the end, Naoki had gotten his wish. He was free to talk to Aichi as much as he wanted now. 

The only caveat was that Aichi had gotten his wish, too.

\---

"After the match, that 'Soryu Leon' dude told me to come here," Kamui crossed his arms, "Are you sure that he’s never been to this shop before?"

Misaki shook her head, "I would've remembered."

Miwa hummed contemplatively. "How about the other members of his team?" he piped, "You said that he came with three other people, didn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah. What were they called again..." Kamui squinted, "Quarter Knaves? Cat Art Nights?"

"Don't hurt yourself," Miwa said as he pulled out his phone, "I'll just look up the opening ceremony."

"Oh! Good idea!"

"Hey, Nee-chan, why don't you join us?" Miwa twisted in his chair to look at Misaki, "You're interested too, aren't you?"

Misaki pursed her lips and looked away sharply, "I'm working."

"Misaki-chan!" Shin's voice echoed cheerily from the backroom at that exact moment. Card Capital's manager walked out of the back room, arms loaded with a large cardboard box as he said, "It's time to switch shifts!"

Misaki’s brow twitched at the uncanny timing.

Miwa actually smirked, "Oh perfect. Would you like to watch with us now that you're off work?"

For a brief moment, Misaki deliberated, then sighed. She pulled off her red apron, set it underneath the counter, then stepped out to join Miwa and Kamui at the table.

"Good work today," Shin intoned as he passed by on his way to the front counter.

Misaki merely nodded in acknowledgment.

"Great! Now that we're all here, let's see what these 'Quarter Art Fights' are all about," Miwa chuckled.

The beginning of the video was full of sponsored advertisements, messages of thanks for contributors, and the like. Standard tournament fare. Then, one by one, the announcers began to call out the participants of the Scramble.

Miwa recognized several top players from around Asia - Christopher Lo, Mitsusada Kenji, oh, and Kamui of course. He didn't need to look over to feel how much pride Kamui exuded when his name was announced with the tagline, "T _he fierce, young fighter among Japan’s best, Katsuragi Kamui!_ "

Then, finally, four figures walked out of the tunnel in unison.

_"And! Fighting for the first time live, the dark horses of the Scramble, hand-picked by Tatsunagi Takuto himself, the Quatre Knights!"_

Misaki narrowed her eyes at the sight of the first person that the camera focused on as each member's name was called out. 

_"Suzugamori Ren!"_

A lanky man with dark red hair and a fox-like smile.

_"Soryu Leon!"_

A blond, with piercing violet eyes and a relaxed expression. 

_"Mimori Kourin!"_

The only female, also blond, with full green eyes.

_"And last, but not least, Kai Toshiki!"_

A brunette with stern teal eyes.

Miwa paused the video right as the camera panned out to capture all four of them as they lined up next to the other participants.

"That guy," he blurted as he pointed to Kai, "What clan does he play?"

"I-I don't know. I didn't play against him," Kamui replied, startled by Miwa's sudden intensity.

"What about her?" Misaki pointed to Kourin.

"Wha- I thought you didn't even play?"

"Answer the question."

"I don't know!" Kamui threw up his hands in defeat, “The tournament was canceled after the first night because of an earthquake."

"Their matches should've been recorded. I'll see if I can find them," Miwa spoke hurriedly.

Misaki pulled out her own phone and began to tap away, "I'll look too."

Within no time at all, the three had dug up every second of footage there was on the Quatre Knights, as well as all the information they could squeeze out of the official Messiah Scramble website.

There wasn't much - just their clans, some deck recipes, media reports about the tournament cancellation, and a handful of conspiracy theories surrounding the fact that they were supposedly elite fighters, hand-picked by Tatsunagi Takuto.

But after months of harboring nothing but the indistinct feeling of longing, it felt like the world to Miwa and Misaki.

"I need to meet him," Miwa whispered. His smile had faded away completely, replaced by a fervent expression.

Misaki bit her lip, then dared to ask, “Can we, though?”

"I don't see why not," Kamui shrugged, "They're just people, aren't they?"

"Think about it," Misaki sighed, "How strange would it be for two college students and one middle-schooler to walk up to a group of elite fighters under the pretense of familiarity?"

“I’m sure we can get around it,” Miwa dismissed smoothly, “Besides.” He looked dead on at Misaki, light gray eyes lined with thinly-veiled desperation. He continued, quieter, "Do you think that you can go on ignoring this for the rest of your life?"

"I don't know," she admitted.

Misaki curled her hands around her elbows and looked down at the table, "But, say that this 'Kai Toshiki' is the player that you've been searching for. You've been coming here nearly every day for more than a year and haven't heard anything from him. They're… they're obviously not looking for us." 

An uneasy feeling settled in her chest once more. A dissonance, born from the simple fact that she, of all people, should’ve been able to remember who the Quatre Knights. And yet, up until Kamui had arrived, she didn't even know their names. Misaki wasn’t sure what scared her more: the possibility that she had actually forgotten four whole people or the possibility that she had never known them at all. 

But either fear boiled down to one question. 

“So who’s to say that they want to see us?”

\---

A loud clang reverberated throughout the Sanctuary walls. 

Naoki leapt to his feet instantly. He didn't know how long he had been sitting in the main chamber, drifting between the boundary of sleep, but he knew full well that it was much too early for the other knights to return yet.

Another loud clang sounded, louder than the last. 

"Who's there?!" he yelled.

Silence.

Naoki positioned himself so that he stood between the throne and the single corridor that led to the main hall. There was only one thing within the Sanctuary that was worth taking, and it wasn't the faux leather jacket that Ren had foisted onto Naoki as a souvenir.

His hair stood on end as he let the power of his prison gauntlets loose, filling the air with static.

"Show yourself!"

A dark shape charged out from the corridor and barreled straight towards Naoki.

Lightning flared as he reacted just fast enough to catch it with both hands – a writhing, vaguely skeletal, worm-like creature with a gaunt face and glowing red eyes. Naoki dug his heels into the ground and tightened his grip as it pushed against him, hard.

"Get."

His gauntlets flared with more static.

"The hell."

The purple body cracked as he dug his fingers in.

"Away!"

In one smooth motion, Naoki swung the creature in an arc above his head and slammed it into the ground.

When the dust settled, Naoki's eyes fell on the crater that he had just made. The creature twitched like an upturned roach, its legs scrambling for purchase, then fell still with a deafening snap. From the pasty lips on its stony face, an inhuman voice rasped:

" ** _Free them._ **"

No sooner than the creature had finished speaking, it burst into purplish specks of light that faded away into nothing.

"What the-" A blood-red light flooded the chamber. 

Naoki whipped and froze, olive eyes widening in shock. 

The Earth was gone. 

In its place a large, spheroid planet loomed, blocking out every inch of starlight. 

Brandt.

Had something happened? Had the other knights been too late? The questions raced through Naoki's mind when, out of the corner of his vision, another dark shadow burst out from the direction of the hallway.

Caught off guard, Naoki only managed to get one hand on the creature before it collided into him, dead on. The impact forced the air out of his lungs and hurled him against one of the four pedestals with an audible crack. 

Naoki slumped down against the floor with a hand pressed against his torso. A web of sharp pain blossomed all over his back where he had slammed against the pedestal, more than enough to make his stomach curl with nausea. 

" ** _Free them._ **"

The new intruder, just as skeletal and grotesque as the first one, rasped.

At once, several more sleek shapes spilled into the main chamber, like flies to a feast. Then, one by one they reared their heads and slammed their bodies into the barrier around the throne. Each one disintegrated into light almost immediately on contact, warded off by the barrier's protection.

But amidst their screams as they dispersed, the voices of the creatures raised a chorus:

" ** _FREE THEM._ **"

Naoki braced a hand against the floor and spit on the ground, his saliva pink with fresh blood. A jolt raced through his lower back as he staggered onto his feet, but he gritted his teeth and bore it. All around him, the hum of electricity grew into a roar. 

After a few more perished into the barrier, the creatures smartened up and began to swarm around dangerously close to the sealing pedestals.

Naoki didn’t think. 

He simply _acted_. 

\---

"If I may say something."

All three of them looked up to see Shin, standing at the end of the table with the sub-manager resting in his arms.

"Sometimes, when you haven't seen someone in a long time, it's worth reaching out first, no matter how long it's been," he calmly recited.

"Even if the person doesn't want to see you?" Misaki cut in.

"Well, if you're absolutely certain that they don't want to see you, that's pretty difficult," Shin replied sagely. “But, if you have even the slightest doubt, then it might be worth bearing the discomfort to see them again. After all, if it's hard for you to reach out, then it may be even harder for them.”

Silence fell over the table again, but unlike last time, it was soft and contemplative.

The sub-manager mewled as he curled more into Shin's arms. The manager looked down fondly on the cat as he spoke again, "People and circumstances change, but take it from this old manager: it's better to cherish people now than wait until it's too late."

Eventually, it was Misaki that spoke, "I do want to see them."

"Then, maybe that's enough," Shin replied.

Misaki breathed in and closed her eyes. When she opened them, there was a smile on her face, "We're going to meet them. For sure."

Miwa nodded, matching her smile with his own.

"Yes!" Kamui pumped a fist in the air, delighted that the complicated heaviness had passed. Then, he realized, "Wait, do we need a fourth person?"

Miwa raised a brow, "Why would we need a fourth person?"

"I dunno, because there are four of them?" Kamui shrugged.

"Well, well, well," Shin spoke again, "Four is actually considered a lucky number in the west! Take for example, the four leafed clover. Did you know that in Italian a four-leafed clover is called a-”

“Quadrifoglio, yeah, yeah-” Kamui abruptly stopped talking. Both Miwa and Misaki looked at him with equally stunned expressions. 

“Oh! You're correct!” Shin clapped his hands together, "I'm surprised that you know Italian, Kamui-kun."

Kamui sputtered, "I-I don't know why I know that. Must've heard it somewhere." He trailed off uncertainly.

"Ah, well, a happy coincidence then," Shin laughed.

There was a flash of his dark blue eyes peeking out from behind the glare of his glasses and a knowing smile on his face, “The four-leafed clover may be considered traditionally lucky, but I personally think a three-leafed one can be just as fortunate if given the chance to flourish.” 

"That sounds cryptic," Miwa noted.

"Just the ramblings of a shopkeeper with too much time," Shin chuckled, "Ah! Speaking of, I have to set up those booster box displays." With that, he scurried back to the counter.

Miwa turned to Misaki, "Is he always like that?" 

"No, but," Misaki pursed her lips, "I feel like he's said something like that before. I just, I can’t remember when that was."

"Another familiar-unknown?" Miwa asked.

Misaki, in a rare show, chuckled as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Maybe."

“There are too many of those, if you ask me,” Kamui managed, still reeling from his spontaneous knowledge of Italian.

“You can say that again,” Miwa bemoaned, “Besides the Tatsunagi foundation and the Scramble, we don’t have much else to go off of.”

“Actually, I may have a lead,” Misaki placed her phone on the table. On it, was a page from the official Messiah Scramble website. 

A competitor profile page, to be exact, featuring a male with dark red hair and sharp eyes. 

\---

"Naoki, Naoki!"

With his eyes firmly shut, Naoki groaned at the sound of Kourin's voice. What did she want this time? And why did her voice sound so concerned? Had he been talking in his sleep again? Naoki hated it when he did that. It always made Kourin more worried than he liked.

"Please, please open your eyes!"

_Alright, alright_ , he thought. Groggily, he tried opening them but found that he couldn't.

Huh.

Was there something wet on the floor? Naoki could’ve sworn that he felt something wet.

"Kourin, move, we need to take him back-"

"No. Kai you know we can't do that."

A pause. 

"Bring T-ku-o."

Kourin and Kai's voices were so noisy. So what if Naoki wanted to sleep for a little longer? It wasn't like there was much to miss while they were stuck in the Sanctuary. 

He tried to tell them to can it, but like his eyelids, his voice refused to cooperate.

"Fine. I’ll g-."

"Thank y-u Kai!"

Almost immediately after, a gentle hand pushed a strand of hair out of Naoki's face. The fingertips felt shockingly warm against his skin. 

“Pl---- be --ay,” Kourin’s voice trembled, like a leaf in the wind. 

Naoki hated to hear her sound so frail when she was normally so firm with her words. He really hoped that the creeping wet sensation on his side wasn’t her tears. He didn’t want her to cry. 

“Pl-a-e be -kay,” she repeated. 

What was she trying to say? Naoki could barely hear her. All he knew was that something had made her sad. It was decided then. The moment he got up, he would put a fist through whatever made Kourin and Kai sound so worried. It was the least he could do. 

The least he could do...

“Please be okay, Naoki.”

Slowly, then all at once, the pieces fell into place. 

The red light. Brandt. The invaders. His fight to keep them back.

The skeletal worms had smartened up enough to realize that throwing themselves at the barrier didn't do anything and started targeting the pedestals instead. Naoki had managed to fend them all off, he was pretty sure, but not without muscling his way through several of their own attacks.

That was why Kourin had sounded so worried. 

It was his blood, soaking his clothes and pooling on the floor.

If the other knights were there though, then that meant everything would be fine. It meant that Brandt had probably been stopped. They had all done their job.

Or at least, Naoki hoped that what he had done counted as doing his job.

It bothered him to leave things unresolved. It reminded him too much of his younger self. So Naoki willed every ounce of strength left in him to move his lips, force wind through his lungs.

"I'll… try harder… from now on."

It wasn't exactly what he had wanted to say, but it had to do. 

Because as the words passed through his mouth, he drifted back into the arms of unconsciousness once more.

\---

On the last day of July at exactly five in the afternoon, Suzugamori Ren walked up to Card Capital. When the automatic door slid open, he took one glance into the store, and froze. 

He was clearly surprised. 

But not for long. 

Ren’s expression melted into a frown as he turned on his heel and left without taking a single step into the store. 

Wordlessly, Misaki, Miwa, and Kamui looked at each other, stood up from their seats, and quickly followed after him. 

While Misaki’s memory failed to decipher the mess of missing memories that plagued all three of them, it was still incredibly precise. That was how she knew for certain: Soryu Leon had never stepped foot into Card Capital before. But Suzugamori Ren, on the other hand, visited on the last day of each month at the exact same time. 

He never said much, besides simple greetings, and spent most of his time watching others play Vanguard. His strange behavior had caught Misaki’s attention on more than one occasion, but whenever her eyes sought him out, he seemed to disappear completely. 

However, not this time.

“A shopping mall?” Kamui mused loudly. The three of them stood in the lot of a busy mall as Ren's head of red hair stepped through the double glass doors. 

“Let’s keep following,” Misaki decided. 

Suzugamori Ren appeared to have no set destination in mind. He wandered about and drifted between a number of stores. If something caught his eyes, he bought it almost immediately. Otherwise, he spent an inordinate amount of time just window shopping and perusing.

Kamui's feet were beginning to ache when suddenly, Ren changed directions.

The hallway was one that anyone would've missed if they hadn't been looking for it. Besides being nestled between two storefronts, the hallway itself wasn't illuminated. It was also completely bare, with the exception of a single, metal-plated sign that read, "Cardshop PSY" in plain lettering. 

"A cardshop?" Kamui read outloud.

Sure enough, right around the bend of the hallway, the storefront of a conspicuous cardshop stood in the darkened hall.

Ren was nowhere to be seen.

Cautiously, the trio followed.

Unlike other cardshops that were often filled with colorful displays or bright, themed decor, Cardshop PSY was nearly bare. The only things that filled its dark carpeted room were high-tech displays that hovered a single Vanguard card atop a spotlight.

"Wait, what's that?" Miwa pointed.

In the corner of the room, there was a raised stone platform on the ground. As they approached it, the Vanguard circle etched into it became visible. On top of it was a sheet of paper:

_"Stand on the platform & channel Vanguard energy to operate. _ _ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ_ _"_

"Was this left by Suzugamori Ren?" Miwa wondered aloud.

"Beats me," Kamui shrugged, "Should we try it?"

Both of them turned to Misaki, who kept eyeing the platform. A beat later, she made her decision.

"Let's go."

\---

From behind the backroom curtain of Cardshop PSY, Ren hummed as he looked through his purchases.

“I know it was you that tipped off Katsuragi Kamui, Leo Leo,” he said as he pulled out one of his latest purchases, a wind wheel made of shimmering violet material. Ren gave the wheel an experimental puff and watched as the prongs spun around prettily. “Shame on you for breaking the rules.”

The wheel slowed down, then stopped completely. 

Ren let his grip on the handle fall lax, “Well, I guess I did too just now. That makes us even again, right?” His voice tapered off into an unpleasant silence. 

Ren had always been fond of the rush of a gamble, the sensation of his fingers atop a deck as he slid off the last, fateful trigger check. 

However, this time around the deck had been stacked behind his back. Ren knew that the card under his fingertips wasn’t a heal trigger because all four of them had already revealed themselves, unceremoniously throwing chance out the door. 

In the end, the steps to his plan had worked fine, better even, than he had expected since he hadn't had to tempt Leon with a visit to Earth himself. 

But all the fun, all the intrigue of the game had been spoilt. 

There was no longer any need to test the Quatre Knights’ mettle. 

A fact that left Ren feeling uncharacteristically cruel as he sat and waited in the dim blue light. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I have a writing condition that compels me to use as many cliffhangers as my brain will allow? Sure do!
> 
> I must confess: Naoki is one of my favorite characters and this was one of my favorite chapters to initially draft. That said, I'm actually pretty unsatisfied personally with how the writing ended up orz. ~~I know that all chaptered fics have their ugly duckling chapters, but gah of all weeks for my brain to Not Work the way I want it to;;;~~
> 
> Anyways, here are Naoki's revamps: [Full Body](https://i.ibb.co/sVJn9n2/Quatre-Knight-Naoki-Full-Body-01.jpg) [Headshot](https://i.ibb.co/ZxKwJc6/Quatre-Knight-Naoki-01.jpg)
> 
> Now that this fic is closing in on the halfway point I'd also just like to say thank you to anyone who's made it this far! It always brightens my day to see that people are still reading og CFV fics, even though those seasons are several years old now haha _cries I feel old_.
> 
> Hope y'all have a good one! I'll be back with a ~~hopefully cleaner~~ chapter next Sanctum Sunday ✰


	6. Aisle.Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knights of the new age, clovers in bloom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks are now in _italics._

"You weren't with the other Knights at the Messiah Scramble," Misaki frowned. 

When their group had been separated by the shifting hallways, she had been led to a circular room with a sunken platform in the center, bordered on all sides by white pillars. At the opposite side of the platform, a person with reddish hair and olive eyes sat on the ground with his elbows over his knees. 

From the shocked expression on his face, he hadn't been expecting her. 

"Boss... Lady," the words tumbled out of his mouth. 

"Huh?" 

The shock faded into a pensive frown, "You don't remember who I am, do you?" 

Misaki inspected him carefully, but no matter how far back she searched through her memories, she couldn't recall his face. However, just like when she had first seen Kourin in the live videos of the Messiah Scramble, there was something undeniably familiar about the person before her, something ever so slightly irritating in the way that he had called her "Boss Lady". 

"I figured," the mystery man sighed. He propped his hands on the ground and slowly stood up. As he did, Misaki observed that he heavily favored his left side and winced when he straightened out onto both feet. 

He half-smiled, but none of it reached his eyes, "My name is Ishida Naoki, but you can just call me Naoki. I'm one of the Quatre Knights." 

"Then, that girl...?" Misaki trailed off. 

Naoki raised his brow in confusion, before he realized, "Oh, you mean Kourin." 

Misaki perked up, "Yes, her." 

"She's not actually one of the Knights. She's more of a, uh, what do you call it," Naoki scratched his head, "Caretaker?" 

Something about the puzzled look on the Knight's, Naoki's, face was so familiar that Misaki found herself unconsciously smiling, "That's just like you-" 

She abruptly stopped talking when a wave of vertigo swept her mind into its clutches, throwing her off balance. She pressed a hand to the side of her head where a pinprick of pain blossomed over her temple. 

"Oi! Are you okay?" Naoki exclaimed, his voice rife with concern. 

"Have we," Misaki muttered, fighting the dryness that suddenly gripped her throat, "Have we met before?" 

Naoki stiffened. He had already taken a step forward, ready to bolt across the platform the moment Misaki had staggered, one hand outstretched. But at the drop of her question, he closed his hand into a fist and let it fall to his side. 

His silence was answer enough. 

"We have, haven't we?" Misaki pursed her lips. "Tell me, then, why is it that I can't remember you? Or Kourin?" 

Naoki sighed raggedly, "I've made a mess of this, haven’t I?" 

He scrubbed a hand through his hair, then huffed, "Alright. Let's do this the proper way. If you want me to tell you about this place or meet Kourin, then you have to beat me in a Vanguard fight. However!" 

Naoki frowned sternly, "If you lose, then you'll have all of your memories of this place, and the Quatre Knights completely erased." 

Misaki narrowed her eyes. "That's what happened to the three of us, then, isn't it?" she connected the pieces all too easily, "Miwa, Kamui, and I all came here and had our memories erased. That's why I can't remember you or Kourin." 

"You're too smart, Boss Lady," Naoki muttered. 

"Don't call me that," Misaki said, suddenly irritated again by his nickname. 

Naoki yelped at her expression, "Okay, okay! Did you want to fight or not?" 

"Of course," Misaki replied without hesitation. She pulled her deck out of her pocket and held it out. Never mind the fact that she had never played a game in her life before, she just knew that fighting Naoki was something she had to do. 

“Fine by me,” Naoki replied, “Let’s do this.”

\---

From her perch behind one of the nondescript pillars, Kourin closed her eyes. 

She had realized before any of the other Knights just who the intruders to the Sanctuary were. And when she did, she had been tempted, so very tempted, to take Naoki’s place and fight in his stead. 

Kourin had a good enough excuse: he was still recovering from all the wounds that he had sustained during the Deletor invasion. Honestly, it was a wonder that he even managed to stay on his feet. However, ever since the invasion, Kourin found it hard to refuse him anything.

Let alone the opportunity to fight with Misaki once again. 

So she stood aside, behind a pillar as she drank in their voices. 

Where, if there were tears slowly sliding down her dewy cheeks, then there was no one around to see her cry. 

_“Where is it you would like to be?”_ Takuto had asked her, in the soft blue light of one of the Waking Stadium’s courtyards, the morning after Brandt’s red veil had split the night sky in half. His fine, bird-bone wrists were gently folded underneath his billowing sleeves as he sat, too exhausted to stand for more than a spell. “ _What path would you like to walk, if I were good and truly gone?_ ”

At the time, Kourin had simply replied, _“I would not wish that upon you.”_

But for a moment lost to time, Kourin wished that she had answered differently. 

_Right here_ , she wanted to go back and tell Takuto, with his doubtful, imploring eyes and melancholy smile, _I would like to remain right here._

(Misaki still wore it around her wrist. The custom black hair tie that looked just as pristine as the day that Kourin had pressed it into her hand, hoping that one day, they would meet again.)

\---

_“Whatever you’re scheming, I will ask you to stop, right now.”_

_“Whatever do you mean, Leo Leo?” Ren asked in an attempt to keep his facade up, but his voice fell completely flat. For once, even he was too tired for smoke and mirrors._

_Leon stood in a hallway with his back to the wall, while Ren sat on the ground on the wall opposite from him, right next to the door of the make-shift infirmary. Both of their clean white uniforms were stained, blemished with dirt that neither made any move to shake off._

_It had been three hours since they had returned to the Sanctuary._

_Three hours since they returned to the gutted out hallways and found Naoki on the floor of the main hall, lifeblood slowly draining out from a horrendous gash in his side._

_“Had it not been for the oath and the power of the Sanctuary, he would have certainly died,” Tatsunagi Takuto, summoned at Kourin’s behest, explained, “The powers here will keep you alive, but they do not make you infallible to injury or pain.”_

_The Knights could still bleed, still break._

_Ishida Naoki would live an eternity with the scar that spanned his entire right side, the proof that he had been willing to pay the ultimate price for the sake of the oath._

_It was more than Leon could say about his own actions, his own resolve._

_Because when the decadent temptation had been laid before his eyes in the form of one Katsuragi Kamui, Leon had cracked. Had allowed a part of his longing spill freely, while Naoki spilled blood. It was a shame that Leon knew he would carry into an eternity facing forward._

_“You’re not a man that remains still for long, Suzugamori Ren,” Leon pointed out, “I suspected that you were planning something months ago.” The gifts, the subtle push of nostalgia, the unspoken questions that always gleamed in Ren’s red eyes._

_“If you noticed me plotting, then didn’t you stop me, Leo Leo?” Ren asked, “It’s rather irresponsible of you as a Knight to ignore a perceived threat to your duty.”_

_“It was irresponsible of me, I concede that,” Leon bowed his head and curled his hands into fists. From the inside of his breast pocket the golden medallion, his prison, weighed heavy against his heart._

_Ren sensed that there was more to Leon’s solemnity than just turning a blind eye to his nudging, but Leon seemed content to keep his lips shut. A fact that irked Ren enough to strip away the last of his faux pleasantry and ask directly, “Is this really what you want Leon?”_

_“I refuse to be complacent any longer.”_

_"So you're just going to play along?"_

_"I am going to fulfill my duty as I should have all along."_

_For once, Ren scowled, “People, time, everything will move on without you. I know you're going to miss it, don’t even try and pretend that you won’t.”_

_Leon met Ren's eyes with a stormy look, “I could say the same to you, too, Ren.”_

_Ren’s expression recoiled, visibly taken aback._

_The Ren before Leon was a person that he had never witnessed before - worn haggard by his battle at the Waking stadium, sleepless from the arrival of Brandt, and drained by the sight of the Sanctuary in ruins that had greeted them when they returned. He was more than just tired. He was downright exhausted._

_Leon knew for certain, because he was, too._

_When he continued speaking, his voice was quiet and somber, “I still haven’t repaid Sendou for saving me from Void before.”_

_“Don’t bring Aichi-kun’s name into this like it means something,” Ren mumbled angrily, futilely._

_“Sendou wanted to protect Vanguard and those that he cherished,” Leon pointedly ignored Ren’s remark. All around them, the air shifted from dry, to damp, to suffocatingly humid. Each breath in filled Leon’s throat with moisture, cloying and weighty. He pushed off of the wall and straightened up, the bluish light overhead illuminating his golden hair in a glistening halo, “Just as I, too, have people that I want to protect.”_

_Such a simple resolve that Leon should’ve never forgotten. Should’ve never wavered in, no matter the temptation._

_“When I was seeking what I thought to be true justice I was wrong. This time, I will stand by the right path, no matter the cost," Leon spoke with a certain dignity, a kind that would not bend, nor compromise._

_He spoke like a true Knight._

_A beat passed._

_In the dark blue hue of Leon’s shadow, Ren’s scowl slowly faded into a look of blank nonchalance. He sighed and dropped his head in between his knees._

_“How boring, Leo Leo.”_

\---

“Let me applaud you, for coming this far.”

“This isn’t over yet,” Kamui spit out, “I’m not the same person that you beat at the Messiah Scramble.”

It was a bluff, of course. After so many turns, Leon had nearly completely whittled away Kamui's hand and forces. With Leon's battle phase beginning, Kamui had a mere three cards in hand – one of which was a grade 3 with no shield – and five damage to his name. His back was completely flush against the wall. 

“Ren shouldn’t have led you here,” Leon sighed, resigned, “You do not belong.”

“Then why did you tell me to go to Card Capital in the first place?!” Kamui snapped. Leon’s tip off, his “thanks” for their match had been the catalyst that ultimately brought Kamui and the others to the Sanctuary. And yet, Leon still stood staunchly in Kamui’s way, giving away nothing. “Your actions aren’t making sense at all!”

Leon paused. He looked over Kamui contemplatively. 

“Why did you come here, Katsuragi Kamui?”

“Why- Because! Because,” Kamui froze.

Because Leon had told him to? No, Leon had only told Kamui to seek out Card Captial.

Why did he follow through and seek out Card Capital in the first place? Why did he feel the need to follow along and seek out the Quatre Knights? The simplest answer was that Kamui had simply felt compelled to, but that answer didn’t satisfy the unnamed emotion that swirled in his chest. 

If he wanted to have a rematch with Leon, then it made more sense to seek him out through the competitive circuit, not a wild goose chase through a mall. 

No, Kamui had stepped forward, had reached Card Capital and demanded to fight Miwa because-

“Someone’s waiting for me.”

Leon’s eyes widened minutely before smoothing over once more.

"You will go no further," he said as he set one of his rearguard columns to rest, “Attack.”

“Guard!” Kamui threw down a card, leaving two in his hand, “I know it. It doesn't make sense, but I know it! There's someone here that I have to meet!” 

“You will leave this place whether you like it or not,” Leon stated evenly, “Tidal Assault attacks.”

“Guard! Intercept!” Kamui moved his last intercepter into the guardian circle and dropped the final shield in his hand, just barely forming enough power to block the attack. 

“Tidal Assault’s skill. Stand and attack.”

The deduction of power prevented the third attack from dealing any damage, but just like their first match, it was still an attack that heralded the oncoming storm. 

“Leon!” Kamui yelled over the rushing waters of Leon’s prison walls, “He’s here, I know he is.” Nevermind that Kamui didn’t even know who "he" was. Nevermind that he was still naive and couldn't always keep pace with Misaki memory or Miwa's lightning fast intuition. His feelings were just as genuine as theirs' would ever be. 

Leon’s violet gaze was unrelenting as he set his hands upon his Vanguards, “Tetraburst and Starlesses' and Legion attack.”

Kamui grit his teeth and glared at the single grade 3 in his hand as he uttered, “No guard.”

A phantom wind howled through the prison, punctuating the two damage that Leon's ravaging storm dealt to Kamui's Vanguard. 

"Damage check," Kamui set a hand on the top of his deck. A tremor ran from the bottom of his spine to his fingertips. It couldn't be over yet, it just couldn't. Not when he still had so many questions, so much untapped nostalgia that threatened to overflow. 

He took a breath and flipped over the top card of his deck. 

\---

_“He seems to be sleeping well.”_

_Kai whipped around, one hand raised, prison gems glowing an angry red-_

_Only to find Tatsunagi Takuto standing in the ruined hallway leading to the main chamber, leaning heavily against the raw stone edge for support._

_Kai relaxed his shoulders and willed the power out of his prison._

_Takuto, to his credit, seemed completely unperturbed. His golden eyes glanced up at the dome overhead the dais and chuckled softly, “That’s going to need fixing.”_

_Much like the rest of the main hall, the dome was in poor shape. Large, gaping holes in the stone exposed the hall to the deep expanse of space beyond._ _It wasn’t nearly in as bad a condition as the whole Sanctuary had been in after Kai and Aichi’s final fight, but it was still definitely in need of attention._

_“Do you mind if I give it a try?”_

_Kai blinked._

_“Fixing it, I mean,” Takuto smiled as he pointed his free hand at the ceiling._

_Unsure of how to respond, Kai simply gestured for Takuto to go ahead._

_“Thank you,” Takuto replied pleasantly. He slowly walked, or more hobbled forward with careful steps around the debris. Kai awkwardly moved forward to offer some assistance, but Takuto silently refused with a wave of his hand, leaving Kai to remain a bystander._

_Eventually, Takuto reached the foot of the dais, where he was braced his full weight onto the pedestals._

_“Alright then,” he wiped a bit of sweat off of his brow and closed his eyes, “Let’s see…”_

_A soft, emerald glow emanated from Takuto as he held out his hands, palms face-down._

_At once, chunks of debris were surrounded by the same glow as they came alive, rising towards the ceiling bit by bit, funneled upwards by the flow of Takuto's power, until the final stone sealed itself nearly into place. When Takuto lowered his hands, the dome overhead looked completely new._

_“Surprised?”_

_“Yeah,” Kai answered honestly. Even with Kourin and all four knights working on the Sanctuary, it had taken them nearly a month to restore the building after Aichi had been sealed. Though they could all tap into the Sanctuary through their oaths, it was draining to funnel power into fixing the crumbled walls. Even now, Kai could distinctly recall the uncomfortable, invasive throb of foreign power coursing through his being._

_And yet, Takuto wielded the power effortlessly._

_“It was originally my concertmaster power to begin with, so it’s only natural that it responds to me better than most,” Takuto chuckled, “After I discovered this space-time corridor years ago, I envisioned crafting a refuge for souls lost to the throes of time. There is no place quite like this, where the flow between Earth and Cray can transcend imagination. It truly is a singularity in that regard."_ _There was a knowing gleam to Takuto's golden eyes, a faraway look into worlds unknown to Kai._

_“But, well, I suppose this Sanctuary now has a nobler cause, doesn’t it?” Takuto glanced over to the dais, where the tall-backed throne stood completely untouched, “Though, perhaps, you would disagree with me?”_

_Kai unconsciously pressed the edge of his fingernails into his palms. He knew it was blunt, insensitive even, to ask; but he felt the need to know, “If something happened to you, what would happen to the Sanctuary?”_

_Takuto hummed, “If I said that the Sanctuary was tied to my fate… Would you be willing to attack me, right now, for the chance to bring down these walls?”_

_For a palpable moment, silence filled the hall, until Kai finally spoke,“You’re not serious.”_

_At that,Takuto laughed,“Correct. but I feel like I might’ve had you, if just for a moment.”_

_Kai frowned, completely unamused._

_“While the Sanctuary runs on a reserve of my original power, it’s long since been detached from me,” Takuto explained, “So even if something happens to me, it will remain here. Space-time is not so easily pushed to change without the appropriate amount of force, after all.”_

_“I suppose not,” Kai murmured. There was a disappointing edge to his frown that was not lost to Takuto._

_The concertmaster’s gaze drifted, from Kai’s face, to the dark red of his prison rings, to the pocket of his blemished white coat. The ghost of music that always sang in Takuto’s ears was erratic, interspersed by an alien note that rang dissonantly above the melody. For a human who had an eternity of life to face, Takuto noted that Kai was a person who always seemed to be on borrowed time._

_Something that Takuto, himself, empathized with keenly._

_“A word for the wise, or perhaps, a whimsy on the wind.”_

_Kai looked at Takuto in silent inquiry._

_Takuto held out his hand, letting the power flow through his fingertips one more to summon a small, rectangular slab of rubble that he balanced precariously on the apex of one of the pedestals. Kai’s pedestal, to be exact._

_“All corridors have walls,” Takuto mused as the emerald glow dissipated from his hands._

_“And no wall-”_

_He reached out and gently poked the slab, breaking its balance so that it fell flat on the slanted pedestal surface._

_“- is completely immune to force.”_

\---

"The silent treatment, huh?" 

Kai stood his units and drew a card. 

Miwa sighed and chuckled, "Somehow, I feel like I'm getting déjà vu. Were you like this when I knew you before, too, Kai?" 

"Ride the Vanguard: Perdition Emperor Dragon, Dragonic Overlord the Great," Kai held his hand over his Vanguard, "Seek the mate: Perdition Dragon, Dragonic Neoflame. Legion." 

"Kai." 

Teal eyes finally looked up from the board to meet Miwa's steely gaze. 

Fighting with Kai was everything that fighting Anjou Mamoru and all the other Kagero players on Earth wasn't. There was sureness in fighting Kai that clicked with Miwa like a struck match. At the very first call of, "Stand up, the Vanguard!" Miwa knew that he had found what he had been looking for all this time. 

"I missed you." 

Kai's eyes dropped back to his hand as he called out two units. 

"And," pained smile on Miwa's face gave way to an intense look that could scald as he solemnly swore, "I won’t forget you a second time. From now on, I'll always remember you, Kai." 

As it were, it was Kai's turn to be struck by déjà vu. The irony wasn't lost on him at all. Miwa's words were reminiscent of something that Kai had once said not too long ago. The sheer absurdity of it almost made him smile. 

But Kai wasn't Ibuki. There was no Messiah to shine light upon his path. 

The curling shadow in his gut said as much, every passing day. 

"No," Kai replied simply. 

"No? That's pretty cold of you." 

"Hold a grudge if you must, but I'm going to burn every last memory of yours-” every lingering longing, every inkling of familiarity, “-until even the ashes will become dust. That is my duty as a knight." 

Despite himself, Miwa smiled, "If that's your duty as a knight, then it's my duty as a good-for-nothing friend to refuse!" 

Something warm seared through Kai's chest at Miwa's reply. The long-snuffed embers of halcyon days, when he used to run forward without abandon, Miwa right at his heels. What a fun, lovely time that had once been. But as much as Kai's heart may have ached, he firmly tamped it all down and swallowed the embers of his memories whole, warmth and all. 

The past was in the past, where it would forever remain in Kai's memories alone. The path ahead of him was already clear. 

"Final turn."

\---

_Naoki woke up slowly, then all at once to an unfamiliar ceiling. He stared quietly, thoughtlessly, as he unconsciously began to take stock of sensations one by one - the press of a bedsheet under his chin, the stiffness in his fingertips, the shallowness of his own breath._

_He peeled open his dry lips and experimentally breathed in, deep._

_Then, abruptly stopped and gasped as sharp pain bloomed beneath the taut skin of his abdomen._

_The sudden motion was just enough to stir a figure who sat in a chair next to the bed._

_Kourin had definitely seen better days._

_Her complexion was pallid bar the dark circles that rimmed her green eyes, and half of the hair had fallen right out of her tie messily, spilling over the side of her face. Even so, the minute she blearily blinked out the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes, she bolted up instantly._

_"Naoki," her voice cracked, on the verge of tears once more, "You're awake."_

_Despite the pain, Naoki smiled, actually smiled, as he managed, "Yeah. Good morning, Ms. Idol."_

_Kourin seized for a moment, then returned the smile, her bottom lip quivering, "Good morning, Naoki. Welcome back."_

_Easy and light, as if they had just run into each other at the gates of Miyaji Academy on any old day out of the year. It was the first glimpse of the brash, but good-natured person that Naoki had been before the oath._

_“So, how long was I out?"_

_Kourin sniffed and wiped away some of the wetness from her eyes, "Three days."_

_“Three-” Naoki surged forward._

_“Don’t move!” Kourin quickly intercepted him, "Your injuries were sealed by Takuto, but it's not perfect. You can still reopen them if you're not careful."_

_“Nevermind that, what about the others? And Brandt? What about Aichi?” Naoki’s voice rose, not with anger, but concern._

_“The other Knights are fine. Kai awakened Messiah and handled Brandt.”_

_Naoki visibly relaxed at the news, “And Aichi?”_

_Kourin half-smiled, “Still fast asleep, thanks to you I presume.”_

_At that, Naoki frowned._

_“Is something wrong?” Kourin asked, clearly concerned. When Naoki continued to ruminate in silence, she quietly added, “If you want to rest I can leave for now. We don’t have to discuss what happened until we gather with the others.”_

_“No, no, you can stay. I just,” Naoki sighed, “I wanted to say sorry. For being such a pain in the ass this whole time.”_

_Kourin pursed her lips, “Naoki, you...”_

_“I was frustrated. Everything was frustrating, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you and everyone else. You were all just trying to do your best in a bad situation while I,” Naoki huffed, “I was just so mad at myself.”_

_“You weren’t wrong to be upset,” Kourin noted._

_Naoki shook his head, “After you guys left, these weird skeletal worm things stormed the Sanctuary. Didn’t know where they came from, but I knew that they were after Aichi, so I didn’t think at all. I just moved.” He idly rested a hand against his abdomen, where a dull pain throbbed continuously in waves._

_“Because part of me really wanted to help Aichi. Still wants to help him - and not just because I don’t want to lose my memories of him or the Vanguard that we enjoyed, but because he's my_ friend," _Naoki took in a shuddering breath, “It's just, just- I think I was just as scared of losing everyone else too.”_

_A silence settled between them uncomfortably as Naoki’s honest words echoed in their minds._

_“Kourin.”_

_Kourin looked up to see Naoki’s olive eyes fixated on her intently._

_“I meant what I said before. From now on, I’m going to try harder.”_

_“Naoki,” there was a conflicted look in Kourin’s eyes. She wanted desperately to assure him somehow, to apologize for being so harsh before, but words failed her in front of his electrifying gaze._

_“I’m not going to be perfect. Never really have been good at that,” Naoki chuckled at himself, “But if I screw up, it'll still be okay. I know it will, because you and the others will set me straight.”_

_Just like the ominous red shadow of Brandt had passed to expose the Sanctuary once more in the Earth's perfect blue._

_“For Vanguard, Aichi’s sake, and everyone else’s sake too.”_

\---

Even though it was the first game she had ever played, Misaki knew each card. Not just because of her picture-perfect memory, but rather, because as she played every fiber of her being seemed to respond. What cards to call, when to guard, how to flawlessly execute a combination – these were all things that she couldn't have learned from rote memory. 

No, the kind of instinctive knowledge that she had at her disposal was the kind that was only born from experience. 

"CEO Yggdrasil's skill. Soul blast six cards," she smoothly slid six cards from the stack underneath her Vanguards, "My Vanguard gets an extra critical and you can't guard with any grade 1's or higher!" 

The blood in Misaki's veins rushed through her. With how in-tune she was, every little thing she did seemed as if it were in slow motion. For the first time in a while, she felt like she was in control. She felt like she was _powerful._

"Furthermore, the discarded Regalia of Fate, Norn's skill! Plus five thousand power," she continued, the words tumbling out of her mouth faster than she could think, "CEO Yggdrasil's second skill! Plus three thousand power!" 

"That's," Naoki scrunched his face, "Twenty... No, thirty..." 

"36,000 power," Misaki swiftly answered. 

"Gee, you never do hold back, do you Boss Lady?" 

"Don't call me that," Misaki huffed good-naturedly, "Attack!" 

Naoki looked down at his hand, then chuckled under his breath. He met Misaki's gaze head-on, "No guard!" 

"Twin drive," Misaki placed her hand on the top of her deck. 

Of the eight critical triggers she had in her deck, one had shown up in a drive check, one had landed in the damage zone, two were in the drop zone, and one remained in her soul. There were just under twenty cards left sitting in her deck.

Which meant that the probability of drawing the needed, game-ending critical trigger was around fifteen percent.

She breathed in and willed every ounce of her will into her hand. 

First check: Midday Regalia, Hemera. No trigger. 

Second check: Mirror Regalia, Achlis. A stand trigger. 

"All the effects go to my rear guard Freya!" 

"Damage check," Naoki slid two cards into his damage zone, bringing his total to five with no defensive triggers among them. 

Misaki released a breath she hadn't realized that she was holding. She set her rearguard to rest, "Freya attacks!" 

"Guard!" Naoki dropped two cards from his hand. 

"Tch," Misaki clicked her tongue. Adrenaline still flowed freely in her veins, filling her ears with the sound of her thudding heartbeat as she caught her breath. Just a little further. She just needed to reach a little further. There was something there, she knew it. 

"Hey." 

Misaki refocused her gaze across the prison. Naoki was still smiling, but there was a certain sobriety to him that caught her off guard. 

"What is it?" 

"I sorta wonder what would’ve happened if you had come earlier," Naoki quietly said, "Then, maybe I wouldn't be so determined to actually stick to all this knightly stuff." 

Misaki couldn't comprehend the hypothesis behind Naoki's words, rendering her mute. But, the notion still triggered something in the recesses of her mind. Not for the first time, Misaki lamented the tantalizing feeling of a memory, just beyond the reach of her fingertips.

Naoki's breathed in and pressed a fist to his chest, "But, a man doesn't go back on his oaths." 

\---

"Raizer Girl, Kate!" Kamui exclaimed, "I heal one damage!" 

He set the card in his damage zone in exchange for another card, then set his hand on his deck for the fated second check. 

From the other side of the prison, Leon's face twitched as he considered the odds. After recycling cards for his last Legion, Kamui had two heal triggers left in his deck. The chances were slim, but not impossible. 

"It's not over yet," Kamui declared, "It's not over yet!" 

_"No matter what happens, you push yourself forward. I've always admired that about you."_

An earnest, but firm voice rang from the recesses of Kamui's memory. 

_"Kamui-kun… I'm here because you and our other friends were there in the beginning."_

A pair of hands that braced his shoulders, gentle, but strong. A presence so familiar that Kamui felt like he could’ve, should’ve recognized it anywhere. His mind felt hazy, reeling with the overwhelming sense of familiarity that entangled his thoughts like a snare. He reached out and braced a hand against the table in front of him, suddenly woozy on his feet. 

“Who was it?” The confidence in Kamui’s voice withered, making him sound more like his actual age. He was, for all his bravado, not unlike a lost child. "Who was it that said that to me?"

Leon’s shoulders eased.

“This isn’t a place for you to be,” he spoke in a softer, almost considerate tone, “It’s time that we wrapped this up and returned you to your rightful place.”

“No,” Kamui mustered through the fog, “I can’t go back. Not yet.”

Leon regarded Kamui for a moment more, then lowered his cards onto the dark blue table in front of him. He turned, side-stepping the table, and crossed over the length of the prison until he stood just before Kamui’s own table of cards. Where, he reached out and rested a hand over the one that Kamui still had on top of his deck. 

“Do not be afraid, Katsuragi Kamui." The white gloves on Leon’s hand were warm against Kamui’s skin. It was reassuring. Almost brotherly, Kamui's mind supplied. “I am positive that it is enough for your beloved person that you are safe and well.”

“It’s not enough for me,” Kamui protested. His whole body felt weak, but he dug the nails of his free hand into the table, determined. “I don’t want to be ‘safe and well’ if someone I care about isn’t.”

Leon remained unphased. He firmly guided Kamui’s hand underneath his own to flip over the top card of his deck. 

Ultimate Raizer Mega-flaire. No trigger. The match was set.

“Just like your fate is to remain on Earth to be protected, it is our fate to remain here and be the protectors,” Leon said calmly as he relinquished his hand and took a step back. He looked wholly at peace with the outcome before him. “It is time for you to go home.”

Kamui had lost, but unlike last time, he refused to crumble, “I’m going to be back Leon, just you wait! One day, I’ll come and take back that person, no matter what! And while I’m at it, I’m going to drag you back down with me even if it's the last thing I do!”

Leon cracked a rare half-smile at the display of boldness but said nothing in reply. Instead, he raised his hand, two fingers poised at Kamui, and called out.

“Memory judgment!”

\---

"Guard! Blue Ray Dracokid!" 

Sweat trickled down the back of Miwa's neck. The fiery walls of the prison buffeted waves of heat against him that made his shirt stick uncomfortably to his skin. 

Miwa sat at three damage with a decently sizable hand, but there was a shift in the air around Kai after he declared his final turn. A determination to go for the broke, throwing everything at him and leaving nothing behind. 

Despite the odds, Kai truly intended to end the game this turn. 

"The Great attacks your rear guard." 

"No guard." 

Kai's hand went to the top of his deck. 

The first check: Blue Ray Dragon. A critical trigger. 

The second check: Gattling claw Dragon. 

"Everything goes to my Vanguard." 

Miwa slid his rear guard into the drop zone. He reached up and wiped away a fresh line of sweat on his brow. It wasn’t just the prison or the match that had begun to heat up - beneath Miwa’s skin, anticipation raced, faster than ever. Part of him knew innately before a single word was uttered: Kai wasn’t done yet. 

"The Great's skill."

Kai flipped over one of his damage and dropped two cards from his hand, "Like an inferno that refuses to die, rise again, dragons of perdition!" 

Once standing, Kai shifted the units back to rest, "Attack." 

Miwa weighed his options. 

He had six cards in his hand, none besides his Vanguard on the field, and three damage. He had the option to guard the attack with the amount of shield in his hand, but doing so almost guaranteed that he wouldn’t be able to clinch the match within the next turn. 

All this time, Miwa had only managed to come this far to the Sanctuary because of a gut feeling. 

So he decided to trust that. 

"No guard!" 

Kai leveled with Miwa's gaze, "Are you certain, Miwa?" 

"Yeah," Miwa smiled, "Just like I'm sure that a good-looking guy like you doesn't deserve to spend all your time sitting around on this old place." 

Kai refused to justify the comment with a response, but the corner of his lip twitched. Even after getting his memory erased, his best friend was still as spunky as ever. That fact alone eased Kai's heart to know because it meant that even if Kai wasn't there, wasn't around to steer Miwa, he would be okay. 

"Check the drive trigger." 

The first check: Perdition Emperor Dragon, Dragonic Overlord the Great. No trigger. 

Miwa held his breath as Kai's hand rested on the deck. 

Kai flipped over the second card: Embodiment of Spear, Tahr. A critical trigger. 

Dumbfounded, Miwa laughed, "What are the odds?"

"Just enough," Kai replied succinctly. 

Miwa relaxed his shoulders, "Damage check."

He hesitated, fingers trembling atop his deck, but not for long.

Much like how he just knew that Kai still had fire left in him, some part of Miwa already knew that the match was decided. He flipped the cards over and sure enough, there was nothing but two normal units and a single critical trigger. He closed his eyes, "Looks like I lost this time." 

"Aaah," Miwa sighed forcefully and scrubbed through his hair with both hands, "This is so frustrating!"

"But!" there was a Cheshire cat grin on Miwa's face as he lowered his arms, "I never told you my name, did I, Kai?" 

Kai instinctively looked away. 

"I thought so," Miwa chuckled, "You don't seem like the type that's good at lying, so much as the type that's good at omitting information." 

As always, Miwa was spot on. Even as a child, Kai had never been able to lie very well. 

"I have to send you back now," Kai eventually said. 

"Alright, alright," Miwa conceded, "Don't worry, I'm not a sore loser. But, before I go there's something I want you to know." 

"What is it?" 

Miwa smiled cheekily. The same smile that dotted some of the fondest of Kai's memories. 

"It was a good match. I had fun." 

Kai took in a breath, "Yeah. Me too." 

"Goodbye, Kai. I'll make sure to come by again one day." 

"Goodbye, Miwa," Kai whispered. He pointed his fingers, red rings burning hot. 

"Memory Judgement!" 

Even as the waves of reddish-black miasma rose from their damage zones and descended upon him, Miwa kept his smile to the very end, engraving itself into Kai's memory. 

\---

"Brawler, Big Bang Knuckle Buster's Legion attack!" 

Misaki threw down her last perfect guard, "Guard! Quintet wall!" 

The five cards from the top of her deck amounted to 30,000. With her Vanguards' power, her wall stood 41,000 strong. Even if Naoki managed to draw two triggers, he still wouldn't have enough power to breakthrough. 

But even so- 

"I'll still be attacking all three of your other rearguards," Naoki smiled. His Vanguard was a stroke of lightning, a crack of thunder, two pairs of fists, packed to the brim with spirit. 

"Twin drive!" 

He flipped the top card: Brawler, Wildclock Dragon. No trigger. 

"Second check!" 

Brawler, Plasmakick Dragon. Critical trigger. 

Misaki winced. 

"All the effects go to my rear guard Slash Buster!" 

The cards that Misaki had used to guard and all the rear guards that Naoki had retired - eight cards in total - sat in a tall pile in Misaki's drop zone. Her field was completely bare. 

"Hey, Boss Lady." 

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" 

"My bad," Naoki smiled unapologetically. 

Misaki sighed, "What is it?" 

"Smile for me, will ya?" 

Misaki blinked, taken off guard by Naoki's sudden request, "What?" 

"You look like it straight up hurts to play right now. Isn't Vanguard supposed to be fun?" Naoki asked. 

Perhaps, Misaki thought, they would've had fun. In another time, another place, when the stakes of win and lose weren't forget or be forgotten. But there was too much to lose, too much that Misaki had already lost, to truly enjoy the game in front of her. 

The cards blurred, power values and flavor text swirling into a mess of color. 

Belatedly, Misaki realized that she was crying. 

"I wonder," she croaked, "Because you look like you're in more pain than I am." 

Naoki opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. 

He couldn't find the will to say that she was wrong. Honestly, as the match went on, even breathing became difficult. The pain in his side flared like a needy child, begging for attention. Several times, he feared that the wounds had torn open again during the fight. But none of the physical pain in the world could match the long, slow ache in his chest.

An unhidden desire to let the match go on forever. 

Naoki had meant what he had said earlier. 

If Misaki, Miwa, and Kamui had come at any time before the Messiah Scramble, he was almost certain that he would've been a turncoat to the other Knights and lost on purpose, if just to give the others a fighting chance. For an entire year, the rake of guilt and anger over the whole situation had festered in him, making him volatile and inconsolable for days on end. 

If even the slightest opportunity to free himself, the others, and Aichi had arisen, he might’ve leaped at the chance. 

But because the quiet world of the Sanctuary refused to change, Naoki was the one who had changed instead. 

He didn't wear the badge of duty as flippantly as Ren, nor as patiently as Leon, nor as solemnly as Kai. 

No, Naoki wore his duty with acceptance. 

Acceptance that had been forged and hardened over a year, when his bottled up emotions caved in on themselves when he stood between the Deletor invaders and Aichi. He had promised to do better. And Ishida Naoki was nothing, if not a man of his word. 

"Let's continue," he murmured quietly, "We're almost done." 

Not trusting herself to speak, Misaki nodded. 

"I attack with Slash Buster." 

"N-no guard." 

Misaki flipped the top two cards of her deck. Two critical triggers. 

Naoki breathed in slowly, then breathed out through his teeth. He tried to smile, but from the look on Misaki's face, he hadn't tried hard enough. 

"Smile sometime, Misaki."

"Naoki," Misaki rushed forward, "Wait-!" 

But Naoki's hand was already raised, his fingers already poised. 

"Memory Judgement." 

\---

"Shin-san, can we talk for a bit?" 

"Oh, of course," Shin nodded. He left his perch in the kitchen and joined Misaki where she sat at the dining room table with her hands folded neatly in her lap. "Is something wrong?" 

"Oh, no. Nothing's wrong," she smiled, "I just wanted to share an idea that I thought of recently." 

"I'm all ears." 

Misaki pursed her lips, "How would you feel if I said that I wanted to open a second store?" 

"A second store," Shin echoed. Part of his mind went straight for the logistical side - business, location, advertising, and the like, "I think it could be a good idea, especially since you'll be wrapping up your business degree soon. The first store is technically already under your name now, too, so you're free to manage Card Capital however you like." 

"But," Shin tilted his head, "I'm curious, what brought this about?" 

"I've been thinking about it for about half a year," Misaki explained, "One of the greatest appeals of card shops in this day and age is their ability to help people connect. I thought a second shop would be perfect then, to help us help others do just that." 

Shin nodded, "I agree with you. Connections with others are really important, aren't they?" 

His eyes landed just beyond Misaki's shoulder, where a framed photo sat atop a homemade shrine on the kitchen counter. With each passing year, Misaki grew to look more and more like her mother - elegant and poised. But, she still had traces of her father in her eyes and the curve of her chin. 

Even without turning around, Misaki knew what Shin was looking at. 

"I'm sure your parents would agree with you too," he said quietly. 

Misaki nodded. 

"Thank you, Shin-san." 

"The pleasure is all mine." 

A comfortable silence fell over them. 

Truthfully, Misaki had omitted a bit of the truth. Nothing she had said was a lie, but she felt like it would be childish to admit her primary reason for setting up a second store. 

For some time now, she couldn't help but feel like she was looking for something. Or, someone. 

The feeling came and went, but whenever it grew too heavy and Miwa wasn't around to talk about it with her, a voice echoed from the depths of her memory, telling her to smile. That old voice never ceased to soothe even the worst of her worries. 

Who it was that had told her to smile, though, she never knew. Her parents? A teacher? An old friend? 

Maybe, but, whoever they were didn't really matter to Misaki as much as her desire to step forward, to respond, to connect. 

Or perhaps, reconnect. 

"Now," she reached over to the chair next to her and pulled up three folders, all stuffed to the brim with paper. The stack made a heavy thud as they hit the table. Misaki's face was bright and mischievous, something Shin knew was rare for his niece (and usually, never boded well for himself). 

"We have a lot of work to do." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the end of this chapter was one of the original endings for this fic. I thought it was too sad and boring though, so I added five more chapters. Whoo!
> 
> Fun fact 2: I totally forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but Kourin's family name in the Messiah Scramble announcement is based on her VA, Mimori Suzuko. Because y'know it'd be a little weird for another Tatsunagi to magically show up at the scramble, no?
> 
> This last one isn't a fun fact, but rather an announcement: I'm going to be taking this next week off from editing because of upcoming holidays, so Sanctum updates will resume on Sunday, December 6th! Additionally, since I now have access to my drawing set up, I'll be adding those art frames that I said I would several chapters ago (now, how quickly that will happen is... debatable lol). 
> 
> Happy early turkey day to any Americans! Remember to be safe, smart, and sensible this holiday season. 
> 
> Aaand as always, thanks for reading! I will return with another Sanctum Sunday in two weeks ✰


	7. Transept.Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope intersects at the crossroads of time.

Chrono silently rubbed his temples together and sighed. 

In sixteen years of being alive, he had done lots of things: unwittingly interconnect two planets through sheer coincidence, become a singularity of time and space, defeat and angry purple man with an affinity for horses, and prevent the end of the world by closing a space-time gate, just to name a few. 

And he wasn’t even old enough to vote yet. 

“Shindou,” a hand patted his shoulder, “I can hear you thinking from a mile away.”

Chrono looked up to see Kazuma beside him on the ruin steps. Behind the light-hearted jab, there was an undertone of genuine concern in his teammate's voice. 

“Kazuma…” Chrono trailed off. 

Right. Not everything had gone completely south in the past while. 

For all the competition they faced, Team Striders had still managed to come out of Under 20 victorious and broke through the Diffride on Onimaru Kazumi. And when the supposed “Apostles of Gyze” had revealed themselves for the first time by capturing people in Relics, everyone had banded together in order to break them out. 

However, that was also where their good fortune had taken a marked turn for the worse. 

Ibuki had been hospitalized, one chilly Christmas night. 

Then, Kazuma and Taiyou had been kidnapped, taken as hostages to leverage fights to awaken the last of the Zeroth Dragons. 

And while Tokoha and Shion had prevailed in their fights against Gredora and Valeos and sent them back to Cray, Chrono himself had lost - both his match and his Generation Zone - to Kazuma.

Both had been forced to use the Zeroth Dragons Dust and Ultima in order to save Taiyou, who had been suspended precariously over the edge of the ten-story building by Darkface, who had made it clear that he was not above killing a child for the sake of his Queen. 

Which brought them here. 

“I’m just thinking,” Chrono said eventually, “About everything that’s happened.”

“I get what you mean,” Kazuma replied, “I still can’t believe that Cray actually exists, let alone the fact that we’re here.”

“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” Chrono chuckled. Even with all the wild things that Vanguard had thrown him into over the past few years, getting transported to a whole other planet had to top the chart. 

The two sat atop a set of crumbling steps in the heart of the Dark Zone nation of Cray. The ruin walls around them were dilapidated and let in only enough light to dimly illuminate the chamber that they had landed in after traversing through the Land of Descent. Opposite from where Chrono and Kazuma sat, Tokoha, Shion, and Taiyou spoke in animated tones to Ahsha, Altmile, and Gurguit respectively.

“It’s good to see that Taiyou’s feeling better,” Kazuma remarked offhandedly. 

“Yeah,” Chrono agreed, “I’m sure he’s enjoying himself being able to talk to Gurguit in the flesh.” He, of all people, knew firsthand just how rewarding it was to be able to interact with their Cray counterparts. It was like sending a message in a bottle with nothing but a stray hope and receiving a reply in kind. 

Remembering his interactions with Chrono Dran had reminded Chrono on several occasions that he was never truly alone. 

Which also reminded him, “Aren’t you going to talk to Luard?”

Kazuma’s expression soured, “I did.”

When it became clear that he wasn’t about to elaborate further, Chrono prodded, “What, did he say something weird?”

“No, it’s just,” Kazuma sighed, “Neither of us are really in the mood to talk.”

Chrono’s eyes wandered to a shaded corner of the ruins, where the mage in question sat atop a crumbling pillar with his hat turned down to cover his face. The electric, almost dangerously intelligent, elf that Chrono had become familiar with from Kazuma’s deck was nowhere to be seen. 

A glance back to Kazuma revealed much of the same picture - slumped shoulders and weary face. 

Much like Chrono and the rest of TRY3 had had to answer the call to rescue Kazuma and Taiyou, apparently, Luard had needed to be saved too by Chrono Dran and Shiranui, just moments before he had been taken by Gastille. 

“Hey.”

“What?”

“It wasn’t your fault. They had Taiyou. Neither of us had a choice.” 

The furrow in Kazuma’s brow deepened, “The two of us shouldn’t have gotten kidnaped in the first place. We knew it was a trap.”

Wryly, Chrono realized that he knew exactly how his Kazuma felt. In a way, witnessing his own teammates get kidnapped felt like karmic retribution for inflicting the same worry on Shion and Tokoha all those times before. Chrono had been rescued his own fair share of times, too, after all. 

“You didn’t ask to be kidnapped,” Chrono stated with his arms crossed, “So if you want to blame someone, blame the Apostles that kidnapped you.”

Kazuma didn’t look convinced in the slightest. 

Chrono sighed and continued in a softer tone, “Besides, you contributed to getting all of us here from the Land of Descent and helped me get my Generation Zone back. I think that’s more important than arguing over things that were out of our control.”

For a moment, Kazuma looked like he was about to protest again, but didn’t. Instead, he quietly echoed, “Things outside of our control, huh?”

An unbidden memory roused in Chrono’s mind. The words of a person that he, and many others, had believed was a guardian of Vanguard for as long as they could remember. 

On the same rooftop where Shion had defeated Valeos with his newfound Fides, where Tokoha had overcome Gredora’s imposing will with a reforged bond, and Kazuma had looked away as he drew the game-ending critical trigger that burned Chrono’s Generation Zone to dust - a man, dressed head to toe in white, was painted red by the light of the rising sun. 

_“Leave everything to me.”_

Were Kai's exact words as he received the five Zeroth Dragons from Darkface.

Chrono had been left with more questions than ever before. A feat in itself, considering how much Ibuki liked to keep him in the dark. Yet, more than anything, he just wanted to know why. 

Why did _Kai_ , of all people, betray them?

“Chrono-san! Kazuma-san!” Taiyou skipped over until he stood right in front of both of his teammates, jolting them out of their gloomy reveries. “Altmile-san says that he has a story to tell us.”

Chrono tilted his head in confusion, “Aren’t we waiting for Dran to finish the preparations?”

“It should still take Chrono Dran a bit more time,” a clear and very familiar voice interrupted from behind Taiyou. 

Altmile stood tall with ruler-straight posture, a picturesque of regality despite his low-born status as a commoner. Even in the dim lighting of the ruins, his white pauldrons and headpiece gleamed like starlight. 

Still, Chrono found it incredibly unsettling that, besides the general pitch of Altmile’s voice being a hair lower, the knight sounded exactly like Shion. As if responding to his thoughts, Shion lined up to stand next to Altmile with Gurguit, Tokoha, and Ahsha on his heels. 

“It is more of an old wives’ tale than a story, but from what you have told us, I am inclined to believe that there may be more truth to it than I originally thought.”

“What kind of story is it?” Chrono asked curiously. 

“The myth of a legendary swordsman from the heart of the United Sanctuary, officially compiled by the Little Liberator, Marron,” Altmile replied, “While largely regarded as a piece of fiction, it is said that while recording it, Marron drew inspiration from the dreams of others in his troop…”

\---

“And so, he rests peacefully. Never to wake again, lest he heralds the world’s end.”

Silence settled over the group as Altmile finished.

The myth had been a solemn one: a tale about a swordsman who had saved the world from destruction several times over, only to ultimately be corrupted by a dark invader to the point where he had to be sealed for the good of the planet.

Parts of the mythos were incredibly vague, but the moment that Altmile mentioned four entities that assisted in forging the seal and were appointed to guard the location of the sleeping Vanguard, all of the Earth-side teenagers shared a look. 

Four knights who guarded a secret for as long as time could remember. Who only appeared when the world or Vanguard at large were threatened. 

Eventually, it was Tokoha who broke the silence, "Do you think it's possible? That Kai-san and the other Quatre Knights have been connected to the myth of the legendary swordsman all along?" 

"It doesn't sound impossible," Shion rubbed his chin, "At the very least, it would explain why they only appear to be present when threats to Vanguard arise." 

"Then why didn't they show up when the apostles came after Relics?" Kazuma jutted in, "And why did that Kai person side with-" 

"Ibuki,” Chrono's throat went dry as he choked out the name.

All eyes fell on him. 

"If I remember right, Ibuki was the one who was always in touch with the Knights," Chrono spoke hurriedly, "Which means they haven't been updated since Gastille-" He bit his tongue and looked down darkly. 

Ibuki had managed to defeat Gastille on that one, wintry Christmas night and sent the Archbishop back to Cray. However, the price he paid was greater than anyone could have imagined. By the time that Chrono had found him on the pavement, his body was already cold to the touch. 

The following hours the emergency staff had spent resuscitating Ibuki had been some of the longest of Chrono’s life. 

It was no wonder that the other knights hadn't shown: the Messenger of Messiah never sent the memo.

\---

_It was well past midnight when Ibuki locked the door to his office. His shoes clacked against the hard floors, impossibly loud amidst the totally silent halls United Sanctuary building. Still, there was something poignant to be said about the empty halls and bare fight tables._

_Not that Ibuki himself was much of a poet._

_As he walked, his mind wandered back to his more clandestine work._

_Thus far, there had been no major issues. Shindou Chrono had improved at a rapid rate, no doubt, partially due to the good people that he had accumulated around him. And while the search for Myoujin Ryuzu himself had been dicey at best, the plan to root out his location was in full swing._

_However, the cowl of uncertainty still lingered over Ibuki’s thoughts like a stain. Even the best of plans could fall apart at the seams, after all._

_Ibuki continued past the training rooms until he reached his usual staff exit._

_Then froze._

_Standing against the wall with his arms crossed was an individual dressed in a white coat. Upon Ibuki’s arrival, he slowly uncrossed his arms and walked to the center of the hallway, blocking off the path. Even in the dim of the emergency lights, Ibuki recognized the teal eyes._

_“Kai,” Ibuki whispered softly, as if afraid to break the moment._

_It had been two full years since Ibuki had last seen Kai, or any of the other Quatre Knights. In that time, Ibuki had changed. Not significantly, but time had worn down some of his sharper edges and he bore the weight of his mistakes much better than he used to - or so he liked to believe when he stood in front of a mirror._

_Kai, in contrast, seemed to have remained exactly as Ibuki remembered. Stern and stiff-browed, with a permanent scowl and a certain youthfulness that seemed frozen in time._

_Distinctly, Ibuki recalled that when they had last met, they appeared to be around the same age, around seventeen or eighteen, give or take. While it wasn’t immediately noticeable, there were now faint tells that made Ibuki look like the senior between them._

_“Ibuki,” Kai’s voice, like the rest of him, was completely unchanged._

_Several questions flooded the forefront of Ibuki’s mind: Are you well? What have you been doing? And where have you been for the past two years? The lattermost question weighed on Ibuki in particular, as one of the first things he had done after completing his solitary journey was seek out the Quatre Knights for assistance._

_Months of searching had proven completely fruitless._

_However, now that Kai stood before him, Ibuki knew that most of his questions would go unanswered. The intense look in Kai’s eyes signaled, loud and clear, that he wasn’t just there to say “hello.”_

_“I heard the news from the Tatsunagi’s,” Kai began._

_Straight to the most relevant matters, then. Ibuki steeled himself, “Can I assume that you’re aware of the situation concerning Myoujin Ryuzu, then?”_

_“Yeah,” Kai affirmed, “I came to assess the situation.”_

_“To see if it’s worth mobilizing the Quatre Knights again?”_

_“If I deem it necessary.”_

_Ibuki held Kai’s gaze for a while longer, his questions still lingering in the back of his mind, but he firmly refrained. Even if he was off-duty for United Sanctuary work, his own personal work still continued._

_“Let me tell you about my current plans, then.”_

\---

Chrono sucked in a breath, then forced it out. 

“Let’s assume that the Quatre Knights are related to the myth. If that’s the case, then Kai-san probably took the Zeroth Dragons to the place where the swordsman is sealed,” Chrono recounted. 

Shion rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “Now the question is, should we pursue him?” 

“I say yes,” Tokoha declared without skipping a beat.

“Wait a minute Tokoha,” Shion spoke, “We can’t be hasty. There's no telling what we're facing here. It could very well be a trap.”

“I know,” Tokoha admitted, “But don’t you sense that there’s something wrong with all this, Shion?”

Her amber eyes bore down imploringly as she continued, “Kai-san and the other Quatre Knights have done so much for us. There must be more to this that we don’t understand I-” she pressed a hand against her chest, “I don’t believe for even a second that they were really our enemies this entire time.”

“Whether you want to believe in them or not,” Kazuma cut in, “that Kai person was clearly allied with the Apostles. We were all there on the rooftop. We all saw him take all the Zeroth Dragon cards.”

“But.”

Everyone turned to Taiyou. Ever since Altmile had finished speaking, the group’s youngest member had fallen silent, until he spoke up somberly. “Kai-san saved me from Darkface before he took the cards,” he recalled, “I don’t think he would’ve done that if he was completely on their side.”

When Taiyou looked up, it was clear that he had made his choice, “I agree with Tokoha-san. There must be another way.”

At that, Chrono turned to Shion and smiled knowingly, “Time to reach for a new possibility, huh?”

Shion sighed, then smiled too, “Well said.”

Tokoha and Taiyou both brightened up. And even though he still looked doubtful, even Kazuma quirked a half-smile at the consensus. 

“It’s not like I’m particularly fond of stories that end in noble sacrifices anyways,” Shion clarified, “In fact, I much prefer tales with happy endings, all things considered. And more importantly…”

Shion’s blue eyes darkened. The icy determination on his face was reminiscent of a time past, when he had had nothing to his name but a world of troubles. 

“I have a personal debt to Kai-san that I haven’t paid back.”

\---

_Kai looked at Shion’s sleeping form silently. After several consecutive fights, he had fallen fast asleep on the same table that they had fought on._

_Based on what Kai had heard, the boy lived by himself despite still being in his final year of middle school. And even though it was supposedly a choice that Shion had made for himself, Kai couldn’t help but sympathize with his circumstances._

_Did he even know how to cook? Kai doubted it, somehow._

_The fact that Shion had decided to be outside so late at night was also concerning in itself._

_Kai sighed and drummed his fingers against his arm in tandem with the rain still beating against the window._

_Ibuki hadn’t asked Kai to look after Kiba Shion._

_In fact, it was by pure chance that Kai had found Shion, knelt down on the ground next to a grate, roughly a week after he had last seen him at the Magallanica branch quest._

_Kai justified his testing of Shion by telling himself that it was for Ibuki’s plan - Chrono’s growth was integral, after all. If the people around him ceased to grow, then the boy could very well stagnate himself, even with his seemingly limitless potential. That was why Kai had sat across from Shion in the middle of a seedy laundromat in the dead of night as the rain outside thundered at the windows._

_Or at least, that was what Kai had told himself as he shuffled his deck._

_For Kai, Chrono was difficult to face for several reasons. Chiefly above all, was that he would push the boy too hard. Kai’s history with other fighters like Ren and Aichi had exposed that he was often too harsh with others and could push people to grow in unhealthy ways._

_For Ibuki’s plan to work, Chrono was to be guided forward by the efforts of his friends and loved ones. A strength for the future, nurtured by the bonds he made._

_Shion, however, was different._

_Unlike Chrono, Shion stood at the edge of a precipice with no one to guide him, no destiny or fate to push him forward._

_In many ways, Kai saw himself - a person shaped by loss, who pushed onwards down the path alone. Beholden to no one but himself._

_However, on the other hand, Kai couldn't help but see Aichi, too._

_Not Aichi after winning the Asia Circuit or Aichi facing the imminent end of the world with his unwavering reach, but the child Aichi. To whom Kai has passed on Blaster Blade to without realizing that years down the line, that same boy would become brave._

_Braver than anyone else._

_Kai knew he was projecting. That much was blatantly clear. Though, he wasn’t entirely sure what he had hoped to accomplish by fighting Shion when he looked so miserable. Was it to protect him, like Kai had tried to protect Aichi once before? Or was he trying to prevent Shion from walking the path alone, like himself?_

_Honestly, Kai didn’t know._

_Communication had never been his strong suit._

_But when he fought against Shion, Kai knew that he had felt something._

_There was a daring undertone to the way that Shion played - opportunistic and aggressive as if he had nothing more to lose. For all that had happened to him, there was still some fight left. But where he would channel that drive was another question left unanswered in the present._

_The only thing Kai knew for certain was that people like Shion, like Kai himself, could never deign to lie still for long._

Who will you be, Kiba Shion, when this night gives way to dawn?

_Kai thought as he shrugged off his white coat._

Will you walk alone? Or will you be brave for others’ sake?

_In one swift motion, Kai threw the coat over Shion’s shoulders._

_Until Shion took the plunge off the edge of the precipice, Kai supposed that he could continue to watch over him. If Shion was the type to brave going out at night, then it couldn’t hurt to watch over him and make sure that he didn’t get into too much trouble. It would certainly save Ibuki and Chrono the headache of finding out that Shion had gotten involved in something that he shouldn't have._

_Besides, living alone at such a young age was hard enough._

_Kai knew from experience._

\---

Shion very rarely chose to speak about the time when his family’s company had been overtaken, the time when he had slinked off into the shadows, tethered to the light only by the good will of his friends. Even then, Chono and Tokoha had both sensed that there was another force at play that had guided their friend forward. 

But at the time, the only proof they had was the long white coat that Shion had suddenly taken to wearing one day, sitting upon his shoulders like a cowl of protection.

“He was at the Star Gate branch quest too, wasn’t he?” Chrono recalled, “I remember because it was super crowded that day.”

“It’s only natural,” Shion chuckled, “After so many weeks of Ibuki-san shutting down every challenger, Kai-san’s one-day participation made it seem like they were trying to lower the difficulty.”

“I still feel bad for the people who thought that,” Tokoha deadpanned, “Because if anything, he was way harder than Ibuki-san.”

\---

_It was a last-minute decision, really, to have Kai fight at the Star Gate branch at all._

_Originally, Ibuki was meant to man the branch’s fights alone, but when he caught wind that TRY3 were readying to try their hand, Ibuki had implored Kai to participate for just one day._

_“I believe it’ll be worth your while to test them yourself,” Ibuki had said, “After all, everything about a person is revealed in a Vanguard fight.”_

_For the scores of teams that had been turned off by the difficulty bar of the challenge, the news that an unknown fighter, with only a single tournament win to his name, was going to be an option to complete the quest seemed like a godsend. They flocked to the opportunity because after weeks where no one could hold a candle against Ibuki, it wholly appeared like an attempt by the branch to ease the challenge._

_It was the logical decision, to try their chances against Kai._

_But, Kai thought as he shuffled his deck, it was still the wrong decision._

_He set the deck down atop the GIRS panel and began to move his hand away when a small red and black shock raced through his fingertips._

_As if burned, Kai clamped his opposite hand over it._

_Something inside him stirred, flaring angrily as it pushed its way up, through the cage of his chest and into his throat._

_Hurriedly, Kai swiped the deck off of the panel and shoved it back into its box as he grit his teeth and tamped down the burning sensation. His gaze tore around the empty stadium. The participants hadn’t been let in yet, but they were sure to be coming soon. He needed to find Ibuki, or at least another deck. But where-_

_“You alright there?”_

_The voice was so familiar that Kai didn’t need to look up to know who it was, but he did anyway and found Miwa standing a little ways off with his hands in his pockets._

_Much like Ibuki, Miwa too, had grown his fair share since Kai had last seen him. He hadn't grown much taller, perhaps a few centimeters at most, but he had clearly cast off the lanky edge to his limbs with time. At first glance, though, it was clear that his easy, light-hearted demeanor hadn’t changed a single bit._

_“Fine,” Kai eventually replied. He cautiously pulled back the hand that held his deckbox behind him so that it was out of Miwa’s line of sight, “I need to talk with Ibuki.”_

_“Did you forget your deck or something?”_

_“No, I,” Kai’s grip tightened on the box, “I need to confirm something with him.”_

_“Right. Well, I think I saw him rushing off to figure out some logistical thing with Rummy Labyrinth,” Miwa shrugged, “Might be a little hard to find him until after the event.”_

_Kai grimaced. It was a worst-case scenario. TRY3, Ibuki, the event - none of it mattered at the moment. He needed to leave._

_“Hey, catch.”_

_Kai looked up just in time to catch a black deckbox with a clan symbol engraved on the front: Narukami._

_“You can have that one if you want,” Miwa said with a wave of his hand, “I don’t use it.”_

_After a beat, Kai slowly opened the case and slid the cards out. The nostalgic red armor and sterling wings of Dragonic Kaiser, Vermillion looked back at him, poised as it always was with a gleaming white sword in one hand and a short javelin in the other. It felt too convenient to be a coincidence._

_“Why?”_

_Miwa shrugged, “Like I said, I don’t use it, so I figured that I might as well give it away. And, well, you looked like you could use a change of pace.”_

_Kai pursed his lips, “I can’t accept this.”_

_“Just take it,” Miwa pressed, “Trust me, it’s a good deck. I kept it updated for an old friend, I think, but I don’t remember who, so it’s yours now.”_

_"I..." He was unable to properly respond or address the subtle sadness in Miwa's voice. Because even if they stood just a few feet apart, their paths had already diverged, long ago. The person in front of him was no longer the blond child from Kai's memories._

_So Kai settled for, "Thank you."_

_Miwa smiled, brighter than ever, “You’re welcome! Go knock ‘em dead, alright?”_

_“Yeah I will.”_

_Right as Kai replied, the doors to the stadium opened and a dense crowd of fighters swarmed the stands, chattering loudly as they evaluated their orders in the fighting queue. Amongst them, Kai’s eyes were drawn to one team in particular - one with a pair of piercing royal blue eyes that met his gaze almost immediately upon entering the stadium._

_Shion looked a little brighter, a little healthier than he had on the stormy night that Kai had first encountered him. Perhaps, he thought, paying the neighbor to leave basic groceries on the doorstep of Shion’s rickety apartment had helped just a little._

_Beyond that, Shion still wore the white coat that Kai had left on his shoulders on that stormy night._

_From afar, it was easy to think that it suited Shion’s white button-down, but Kai had always been keen to notice the finer details. White was a color that stained easily and hid nothing, no matter how diligently one kept up with cleansing it. Kai knew, from his own experience of watching over Shion’s nightly activities._

_It was a small blessing that he had only had to intervene once when Shion had been knocked out cold completely, especially considering the kinds of things that the teenager liked to get himself into._

_However above all, Kai sensed, Shion still stood at the peak of the precipice._

_Not completely alone, but not fully in the company of others either._

\---

_“Who was that guy?”_

_Ibuki raised a brow, “The loud blond one? His name is Miwa Taishi.”_

_“Does he work for the Association?” Kai asked._

_“Ah, no,” Ibuki answered, “He’s a pro-fighter from the Euro League from Japan. He comes over occasionally to promote the Association and assist with events. If I’m not wrong, he also sponsors a small, local chain called Card Capital.” Ibuki paused, before he added, “He’s also an old childhood friend of mine. We reconnected when I started working for the Vanguard Association.”_

_“I see,” Kai replied simply._

_Ibuki was curious as to why Kai had asked, but he quickly sensed that Kai had said all he wanted to say on the matter. A man of his silence, as much as he was a man of his word. Which reminded Ibuki of something that Kai had remarked earlier._

_“‘Kiba Shion… I’m willing to fight you anytime.’ Huh?” Ibuki leaned back against the park bench that he sat on, “Can I assume that you’re invested, then?”_

_“I’m still deciding.”_

_“You’re as enigmatic as ever,” Ibuki sighed over the rim of his black coffee can. He took a long, slow sip. When the can came down, there was a deep frown etched into his face. Ibuki’s voice was grave when he spoke again, “I need to know if you’re planning to help us or not.”_

_The streetlamp above them flickered ominously as a soft breeze rustled past, bringing the eddies of cricket song along with it._

_Ibuki’s sudden severity prompted Kai to ask, “Me, personally? Or the Quatre Knights?”_

_“Either is fine. I’m sure that you must have other obligations to attend to, considering how sparse you are,” Ibuki stated calmly. Kai’s eyebrow twitched faintly at the remark, but he continued to listen without saying a word. “But, if what you said to me two years ago at the Waking Stadium was true, then now is the time. Vanguard needs strong fighters to defend it against Myoujin Ryuzu’s plans.”_

_A beat passed._

_Eventually, Kai replied, “It wasn’t a lie.”_

_Ibuki relaxed a fraction, “Then-”_

_“Don’t just to conclusions,” Kai cut off, “I still haven’t decided if your plan is worth mobilizing the Knights.”_

_Ibuki clicked his tongue, “Fight me then, Kai.” He held out his deck. The front card featured a gleaming white figure with a pair of elegant wings spread out wide - Alter Ego Messiah, the symbol of the path that Ibuki had found in his wandering and likely the only Link Joker deck remaining after the seal had been made at the Sanctuary._

_“Let me show you my resolve to see this through.”_

_In one pocket, the Narukami deck that Miwa had handed Kai earlier weighed heavy on him. However, when it came to matters of his duty as a Knight, Kai reached for his other pocket and pulled out the deck that he had taken his oath with: Kagero. Right when his fingers touched the cards, a dark shock ran through his arm, forcing him to suppress a flinch._

_He could sense it. He only had so much time left before he would be unable to use it anymore._

_But if that were the case, Kai reasoned, then he had to make every match count._

\---

“If I had to choose one fight above all the others though, it has to be the Ultimate Stage,” Taiyou exclaimed. 

All three of the former TRY3 members shared a warm look. In their time as a team, no, in their full time as Vanguard fighters, few fights had been as rewarding as the ones that they had had at the Ultimate Stage. 

“Was it really that great?” Kazuma asked. 

“It really was, Kazuma-san!” Taiyou practically vibrated as he spoke, “I still watch the matches every now and then if I ever feel like I need inspiration.”

Kazuma let out a drawn-out hum, then admitted, “I still don't get it. Weren't they just a couple of exhibition matches at the end of the day?”

“You know, I’ve always thought it was strange that you joined Team Striders without fully realizing Chrono-san’s history with TRY3,” Taiyou mused, “At their prime, they swept through the entire G Quest series undefeated and became the first Generation Masters in Vanguard history.”

“T-Taiyou, it’s alright, he doesn’t need to know all that,” Chrono interjected. While his memories with TRY3 were some of his fondest, he still felt a bit embarrassed to have it all laid out.

“No, Chrono-san, I refuse,” Taiyou retorted, “Kazuma-san should know about this as your current teammate.”

Kazuma yawned, “If this is going to be a lecture, then I’m gonna pass.”

“No! Kazuma-san this is important!” Taiyou reached over Chrono and rocked Kazuma by the arm, “You have to hear this! The Ultimate Stage was a once-in-a-lifetime set of matches between TRY3 and their most cherished mentors!”

\---

_“Kagero,” Shion uttered. His blue eyes quivered as he reached up and grasped at his own sleeve. Even from across the stadium, Kai could make out the tremor that shook his whole body. But still, Shion smiled as he looked up, “I’m grateful for this, Kai-san.”_

_There was something different about Kiba Shion this time around. A new shine in his demeanor that told Kai that he had taken the plunge off the precipice at last._

_Shion shed his white coat, Kai’s coat, and let it fall to the ground._

_To protect, or to be protected. To be brave, or to walk forward alone._

_Kai wasn’t sure to which side Shion had descended to after taking the plunge, but he didn’t need to. The fight would tell him the truth._

_He responded to Shion’s thanks with a beckon of, “Come.”_

_A flip had been switched at the start of the match. Shion chose to play aggressively, quickly calling out unit after unit in a continuous assault to whittle Kai down. It was a risky way to play - Kagero was a clan that thrived off of retiring rear-guards and controlling the pace of the game. If Shion lost tempo for even a single turn, then he could be easily swallowed by the flames._

_But despite the odds, when Kai closed out the fourth turn of the match, Shion began to laugh._

_A simple, pure laugh of a person without a care in the world._

_A laugh that reminded Kai of the heart beating in his chest, the breath in his lungs, and the blood surging through his ears. How long had it been?_

_When was the last time that Kai had had a match without the burden of consequence and fate weighed upon his victory or defeat?_

_Since when, he wondered, had he last had such a carefree match?_

_Kai didn’t have an answer. But as Shion stood his units once more to continue the match, Kai felt the corner of his lip twitch. He had never fully realized how much he craved this, a match unfettered by outside forces. In fact, he had forgotten exactly how it felt to be excited like this, elated for every move._

_When it was Kai’s turn once more, he held his cards close to his chest._

_If just for a moment, he had forgotten about the oath, the Sanctuary, the impending crisis plans, and the shadow that curled inside of him day by day._

_That in itself should've been troubling, but it was also undeniably refreshing._

_Really, Kai should’ve been the one thanking Shion._

_“Flames of the apocalypse that burn everything in this universe to ash,” Kai uttered reverently, “Your eternal blaze descends now.”_

_Across the hall, Shion braced himself.”_

_“Ride the Vanguard, Dragonic Overlord, ‘The Legend’!”_

_The match continued at a breakneck pace, with neither side giving even an inch of room to breathe. Triggers flew with nearly every drive check and each time Kai razed Shion’s field to ashes, Shion rose to the challenge once more. By the time that they were well into their Strides, Kai sensed a scheme in Shion’s plays._

_“Critical trigger! I give all the effects to Berserk Lord!” he called out._

_“Perfect guard!” Shion slammed the card down onto the guardian circle._

_Shion had carefully, carefully bided his time and resources to the very last moment, just barely surviving Kai’s turn. However, just surviving didn’t mean that he had won just yet. Kai still had a sizable hand after all of his drive checks._

_Shion, however, was ready._

_“Final turn!” he declared. The smile on his face was full and confident and overwhelmingly alive, “It’s all or nothing, Kai-san!”_

_All the pieces, all the preparations Shion had done culminated into one last flurry of attacks. Both of them had their backs against the edge, five damage to their names, and appetites to whet._

_As Shion laid his hand on his deck for this final, fateful drive check, Kai beckoned him once more, “Come!”_

_“Here I come! Triple drive!”_

_Kai hadn’t been wrong to assume that Shion had changed, had dived off the edge of the precipice at the start of their match._

_“Critical trigger! I give all of the effects to my Vanguard!”_

_Shion had plunged down, off the razor’s edge and descended down, down, down into the depths._

_“Critical trigger! All effects to my Vanguard!”_

_But before he hit the ground, he had found wings with which to soar upwards…_

  
  


_“Third check!” The final critical trigger gleamed golden, “Critical trigger!”_

_… and grasped a future beyond imagination._

\---

_The rush of blood in Shion’s ears grew louder and louder. His whole body felt hot and his face was soaked with sweat. Before he realized, he had begun to pitch forward-_

_-only to fall against something solid._

_When Shion’s vision finally cleared, Kai’s face came into view. In place of his usual, stoic expression was a real, genuine smile. Shion had done it. He had actually won. The revelation washed over him and for the first time in weeks, Shion cried._

_He knew in the back of his mind that he would probably come to feel embarrassed about it in the future. They were still being broadcasted in a stadium for everyone in Japan to see, after all. But it didn’t matter in the moment, because he had won. He had finally grasped something that had once felt so impossible and out of reach._

_A seed of hope unto all the other seemingly insurmountable obstacles remaining._

_A shred of control, in a world where he previously felt like he had had none._

_Eventually, Shion straightened out onto his own feet and wiped away his tears. When he finally did, he reached down, picked up the white coat that he had dropped, and held it out to Kai._

_“I want to return this,” he said simply, “Thank you… for everything.”_

_It wasn’t perfect, nor nearly as eloquent as Shion normally was, but Kai had never been one for flowery words._

_He reached out and gingerly took the coat from Shion before tucking it underneath one arm. He still didn’t know what had compelled him to help the boy on that one, stormy night, but in end it turned out that Kiba Shion hadn’t needed protecting or shielding from the world. He was more than capable of forging his own path forward, be it striking forward in his lonesome or standing beside his friends._

_The fundamental person he was underneath was still the same and still had plenty of room to grow._

_And even if the reality was that Kai’s own fate was oathbound, it gave him peace to know that there was a new generation of fighters in the world that the Knights protected, playing Vanguard freely, like they once had._

_But now that the match was over, the call of duty beckoned Kai once more._

\---

“Amazing,” Gurguit’s voice, reminiscent of a deeper version of Taiyou’s voice, startled the teenagers. In the midst of their retelling, they had partially forgotten about the denizens of Cray in their midst. “I had not realized how impressive your Vanguard was, Sir Altmile.”

Although Gurguit was several heads taller than Taiyou, armed to the teeth in radiant gold armor, and carried himself with the dignified air of a knight, there was a subtle brightness, a certain youthfulness to his reddish eyes that was a near-perfect mirror to Taiyou. 

“It is only natural,” Altmile responded. Despite his simple reply, the calm and impassive sky blue knight looked a bit sheepish. 

“Of course, I’m grateful for your assistance as well,” Shion piped in, “You’ve helped me pave the path forward more times than I can count.”

“Me too!” Tokoha turned to Ahsha fondly, “Without you, I think I definitely would’ve been lost more than once.”

The blue ranunculus bioroid held a hand in front of her face, but the corners of her broad smile still peeked out from the edges of her fingers. Her crystalline blue eyes glittered with unshed tears as she reached out and pulled Tokoha into a bone-crushing hug. As she did, she quietly murmured words into Tokoha’s hair. 

Too quiet for the others to hear, but when Tokoha heard them, she only melted further into Ahsha’s embrace. 

It was a sight that warmed everyone’s hearts. 

Shion turned to Altmile. The two made eye contact and shared a mutually respectful nod. 

Taiyou reached out a splayed palm to Gurguit, who returned the gesture with a soft high five. 

Chrono, in the absence of Chrono Dran, went to nudge Kazuma, only to find that he had already stood up and begun to walk towards Luard’s corner of the ruins. Like Ahsha and Tokoha, their words were too quiet to be heard, but as Chrono watched, the elven mage looked up at Kazuma and after a bit of back and forth, sighed and cracked a half-smile. 

Earth and Cray were truly connected. That much was irrefutable in the face of the bonds that each of them had with their respective avatars. Every time they clashed with Vanguard, the denizens of Cray raised their voices to answer the call from the other side. 

Just like Kai and the Quatre Knights. 

For as elusive as the Knights tended to be, some part of Chrono knew that they had always been there, silently supporting the world of Vanguard from the shadows. 

\---

_“Sixty seconds! But there’s not enough Stride Force!”_

_Ibuki clicked his tongue loudly. Even with Chrono’s last match in full swing and all the time they had spent accumulating Stride Force, they were still just barely short of kick-starting the actual Crisis. All around the world, strong fighters had rallied behind the cause, but they were still missing a vital chunk._

Think _, he ran through everything in his mind,_ Think! There has to be a solution somewhere.

_“Thirty seconds! Our window is closing! The surge will start depleting in twenty unless we can get more Stride Force into the system!”_

_“Ibuki!” Chris called out harrowingly from his control panel, “We’re going to miss our chance to overload the system!”_

I know _, Ibuki wanted to scream._ But there’s nothing I can do!

_A hand rested on Ibuki’s shoulder._

_“Ibuki, breathe.”_

_At the sound of the voice, breath swelled into Ibuki’s lungs. He hadn’t even realized that he had been holding his breath. The hand patted once, then slid off._

_Four figures, dressed head to toe in white, passed by Ibuki on the bridge and descended into the open underbelly of the control room. In each of their hands was a new FICA, equipped with shiny crystals that gleamed with raw energy._

_“This is going to be fun,” Ren hummed as he skipped down the last steps._

_“There’s a good wind outside today,” Leon noted._

_“I’m just ready to bust some stuff up,” Naoki muttered as he rolled his shoulders._

_“Together now,” Kai intoned._

_The four stood in a circle and held out their FICAs together._

_At once, a burst of light flooded the entire room. How four little crystals could produce such a light, Ibuki had no idea, but as he squinted through the intense glow, he couldn’t help but smile. In the corner of his vision, the monitor he had been tracking surged into green with mere milliseconds remaining._

_“GIRS Crisis, activated!”_

\---

_“Kai! Kai, wait!”_

_Kai sighed, “Go on ahead. Leon, Naoki, do not let Ren out of your sight. I’ll catch up.”_

_“Yes sir.”_

_“Roger that, cap’n.”_

_The two spoke in unison._

_“Eh, now why would I run off?” Ren mused playfully._

_“Do you really want me to answer that?” Naoki asked, bewildered._

_The voices of the other Knights faded as they continued walking. In contrast, Ibuki’s running steps and quick breaths grew louder as he finally drew near._

_“You’re here.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_Ibuki straightened up and smoothed his face into a stern expression, the face of a businessman or chairman trying to save face, “Thank you. Without your contribution, all of our accumulated efforts would’ve been in vain. I’m indebted to you once again.”_

_“It was our duty,” Kai dismissed, “We prefer not to leave the Sanctuary for long, so we rely on you to protect Vanguard just as much.”_

_“Sanctuary, huh?” Ibuki raised a brow, the beginnings of a smile creeping onto his face._

_Kai stiffened. It was incredibly rare for him to slip up so easily._

_“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine,” Ibuki said, “Although I am curious as to where you’ve been for the past two years, I’m not here to badger you about your whereabouts. That you came and helped us in our time of need is more than enough.”_

_Kai softly cleared his throat, “I told you before, didn’t I? ‘If Cray or Vanguard are ever threatened, then the Quatre Knights will always answer the call.’”_

_At Kai’s words, Ibuki’s stern expression returned, “I don’t know if I have the right to ask this of you, but, in the case that we need your assistance in the near future, can we rely on you and the knights?”_

_Kai was silent for a beat, then responded, “Of all the knights, I am our Ambassador to Earth. The Knights mobilize at my discretion.”_

_It wasn’t exactly a ‘yes’, but there was no sign of a ‘no’ either._

_Until, finally, “So, you can stay in touch with me. From there, I will decide the Knights’ course of action._

_Ibuki let loose a sigh of relief that he hadn’t known that he had been holding, again. This time, he couldn’t keep the full smile off of his face, “Thank you. That you will be supporting us means more than I can say.”_

_“You’re welcome.”_

_A static voice broke through the moment from the communicator that Ibuki had strapped onto his ear: “Ibuki-san, we’re all ready to go. Over.”_

_“Right,” Ibuki held a hand on the transmission button as he replied, “I’ll be right there. Over.”_

_Ibuki dropped his hand and paused to look at Kai. Were Kai any more confident, he might’ve guessed that there appeared to be a thinly veiled fear in Ibuki’s red eyes. But as soon as he thought it, Ibuki bowed deeply._

_“If you’ll excuse me.”_

_“I’ll see you later, Ibuki.”_

_When Ibuki stood up, there was a lightness, a muted awe, in his expression. It was such a simple thing to say, “I’ll see you later.” But for him, it was a confirmation that he would see Kai again. And in that moment, it was enough to dispel any fears that had bubbled up from the depths._

_“I’ll see you later, Kai.”_

\---

Chrono leveled his eyes with each of the other faces around him. The gravity of the task that stood in front of them weighed on all of them evenly. 

His own memory briefly flashed to the past that they had left behind. After the rooftop encounter, the sky had been painted a bloody red and in the distance, two great planets had nearly blanketed the whole sky. 

But in the midst of the impending chaos, there had also been those that entrusted their hopes in Chrono and his friends. 

The world that they had escaped from with the aid of Kamui, Misaki, the Association, and Rive was in ruins. Returning only meant condemning themselves to a hopeless future. The only way to return to Vanguard that they knew was to go forward and charge towards new possibilities. 

“Are you ready?” Chrono Dran’s voice sounded small, concerned, “Once you enter the space-time corridor there’s no turning back. All your actions can and will affect the future that you return to when you leave.”

Chrono leaned down and set a hand on the smooth surface of Dran’s helmet. 

“We’re ready,” he replied confidently, “To change the future for the better.”

Even if the Apostles, or the Quatre Knights, or Kai stood in their way, they would brave forward.

At Chrono’s reassurance, Dran smiled once more. 

“Then let’s do this!”

The assembled members of Gear Chronicle stood in a circle around the five teenagers and began to channel their power altogether. With Messiah’s blessing, the ground erupted into white as a single, gleaming Vanguard circle etched itself beneath their feet. The light swelled, brighter and brighter until Chrono was completely blinded. 

“It’s up to you now Chrono!” Dran’s voice called out from beyond.

“Yeah!” Chrono shouted back. 

_“Time leap!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iiiiiit's that time again! Sanctum Sunday is back! _blares airhorns_
> 
> This chapter was a doozy to write. I ended up drafting it a grand total of eight times - more than any other chapter to date! Does this mean that I'm satisfied with it? Very questionable. Probably not. My brain is very fried. Big dum dum hours right now. 
> 
> So I'm just gonna move along whee. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! I know this chapter jumped ahead (in more ways that one lol), but I hope that it was still at least somewhat coherent and/or enjoyable. With that said, regular Sunday updates have resumed and I will see y'all next Sanctum Sunday ✰


	8. Nave.Walker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another path to tread upon.

_Even after the earthquakes and the threat of Brandt, the Waking Stadium had an ethereal, almost timeless quality to it. The exposed brick of the arcade pillars and the crackled ground lent to the impression that it had been intentionally ruined, artfully desiccated, to emphasize its survival over the ages._

_Although, how old the stadium actually was, was a question that Kourin didn’t have an answer to._

_“A congratulations first, for saving Cray once more,” Takuto began, “It seems that Sendou Aichi chose his Knights wisely.”_

_Takuto was perched on a stone bench that had somehow survived the quakes. Just in front of where he sat, Kourin stood with her eyes trained on the ground between them._

_Ordinarily, the success of driving off Brandt and saving Cray would’ve been a momentous occasion worth celebrating, but as Kourin stood in front of Takuto, all she could feel was dread. In the midst of the turmoil, neither of them had addressed the elephant in the room: Takuto’s presence on Earth._

_And Kourin’s duty to be at his side._

_“Kourin, please relax. Your face looks awfully scary right now,” Takuto joked lightly._

_“I,” Kourin bit her lip, “I don’t know what I should say.”_

_Takuto hummed thoughtfully, “Well, the typical answer to congratulations is 'thank you', isn't it?"_

_"That's not what I meant."_

_Takuto's laugh was bright against the dewy morning air, "Apologies, I couldn't help myself." He sighed softly and drew his laughter to a close. When he spoke again, he was quiet and resigned._

_"Where is it you would like to be?"_

_Kourin looked up from the ground to see a melancholy smile on Takuto's face._

_"What path would you like to walk, if I were good and truly gone?"_

_Had Takuto asked the very same question years ago when he first called Kourin to walk with him in his plight as a Concertmaster, she knew for certain that she wouldn't have answered him at all. It was a silly question to ask because for her entire known existence, she had always been by his side._

_What other option was there for her, who had no other memories? No other existence to rival the only one she knew?_

_But now, the answers came to Kourin uninvited._

_An unused physics room where voices bantered, laughed, sighed, and smiled._

_An unending hallway that led to a single, tall-backed throne chair._

_Dog-eared moments in time where the taste of freedom and companionship had, if just for a moment, given her another path to walk._

_But in front of Takuto, who had effectively died once for the sake of the world, Kourin's voice failed her. She hadn't been selfish enough to ask anything grand of him before the whole fiasco with Link Joker. That part of her hadn't changed in the slightest. If Takuto asked her to leave the Sanctuary and walk with him once more, she knew she would have no option but to oblige._

_"I would not wish that upon you," Kourin answered simply._

_A soft crease in Takuto's brow cracked his smile as his imploring eyes expressed an unvoiced doubt. He clearly knew Kourin a little too well to take her answer at face value._

_With a soft hum, Takuto drew his sleeves together, "Well, I hope that you find an answer to my question soon because as of today-" he drew himself to standing with small, stilted movements, "I am releasing you, Suiko, and Rekka from my service."_

_A beat passed._

_"What?" Kourin's stunned voice was unrecognizable to her own ears, "What do you mean?"_

_"Exactly that. All three of you are free to do as you wish now," Takuto said, "Rekka has already expressed some desire to travel, while Suiko has asked to remain at the Tatsunagi estate for the time being. Of course, there is still the issue of formally passing on my role as the Concertmaster, but."_

_Takuto shrugged flippantly, "When that resolves itself, all three of you can turn to the Tatsunagi Foundation for support. I can prepare any number of arrangements you'd like."_

_Kourin had hardly processed what Takuto had. The very notion that he was preemptively releasing them from his service was beyond her._

_But as Kourin struggled to process his words, Takuto reached out and gently clasped one of her hands in both of his. Unbidden, Kourin felt her throat seize up as Takuto rubbed small, comforting circles on her hand with his thumbs. In the back of her mind, she caught onto how small his hands were compared to hers._

_How thin his wrists were underneath his heavy sleeves._

_"I'm sorry," he said solemnly, a lingering echo of his final words before he had been banished with his Void self, "For being such a terrible Concertmaster."_

_"N-no," Kourin protested, her voice thin and choked with emotion, "I'm sorry the one who should be sorry."_

_Takuto smiled the same even smile that he has mastered long before he had ever met any of his walkers. One that gave nothing away even to the most discerning eye._

_"Go, Kourin. Wherever you would like to be, I will help you, however I am able, until the very end."_

_\---_

_From behind one of the arcade pillars, Ren stood in the shade with his back against brick._

_Ordinarily, he wasn't too concerned about the morals of eavesdropping, but after listening in on Takuto and Kourin's conversation, he couldn't help but feel the bitter aftertaste of regret for having intruded._

_He silently suppressed a sigh and slinked away, back to the direction that he had come from. Kai would probably be a little miffed that he had skirted his task of retrieving Kourin, but Ren figured that he could stomach a bit of Kai's sass if it meant that Kourin and Takuto could have just a few more moments in private together._

\---

Kourin had been walking down a nondescript corridor in the Sanctuary for general maintenance when she sensed a shift in the structure of the Sanctuary, long before a low-pitched, warped warbling sounded from around a corner...

... followed by a loud thud.

And voices.

"Ow, ow, ow Tokoha-san that's my leg."

"Ah! Sorry Taiyou-kun."

"Hey Princeling, Swirly head, do you two mind moving?"

"Wait Chrono don't-"

More thuds and scattered footsteps echoed throughout the hall. Kourin quieted her steps as she approached the corner and took a wary peek.

A group of five bewildered teenagers with various cuts, bruises, and sandy stains amongst them. Judging by their appearances and the way that they struggled to disentangle themselves, they were clearly young. Still, Kourin kept her guard up.

Ever since the Sanctuary had been trespassed by Misaki, Miwa, and Kamui, she and the other Knights had taken great measures to re-hide the only gateway from Earth. It was highly unlikely that they had just so happened to wander onto it and more importantly, something in Kourin's gut told her that there was something distinctly off about the new intruders.

Still, whether they had come by chance or not, there was only one course of action: prompt removal.

"Why is your tailbone so bony? Geez, I can barely feel my arm."

"I said I was sorry!"

"Kazuma-san, Chrono-san now really isn't the time-"

The sharp clack of a heel against the hard floor brought all five pairs of eyes upwards to where the hallway diverged into a T.

At the end, Kourin stood, glaring menacingly.

"Who are you?" she demanded, "And why are you here?"

A beat passed.

The eyes on her all widened considerably in mixtures of shock, curiosity, and confusion until once voice broke the silence.

The smallest of the group, a boy, with golden-brown hair.

"Kourin-san?"

At once, Kourin froze.

"It really is you, isn't it Kourin-san?" the boy continued, his voice growing more confident with each word. His face beamed in recognition as he picked himself up and raced towards her.

"Stop!" Kourin yelled, "Don't come one step closer."

The boy froze in his tracks, several feet in front of her. His face morphed from joy to confusion to something that resembled hurt. 

"I'll ask you once more: Who are you and why are you here?" Kourin grit out.

"My name is Shindou Chrono," another boy - one with curly red hair and green eyes - slowly stepped forward with both palms up in surrender. Once he fell in line next to the smaller boy Chrono held out an arm in front of the brunette protectively. "This may be hard to believe, but the five of us are from the future."

"The future?" Kourin's eyes narrowed.

Chrono nodded and explained, "We came because the world in our time was endangered by a group called the Apostles and…" Chrono faltered. There was a conflict brewing in his green eyes as he struggled with what to say next.

Fortunately, the others in his group filled in for his silence.

"We have reason to believe that the events that transpired in our future were related to the Quatre Knights," a blond boy, with deep blue eyes, "Kai-san, in particular."

"We don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble," the only girl, with light green hair and amber eyes, "We just want the chance to talk with the Knights."

All three of the remaining members of the group fell in line behind Chrono as they spoke. The final one that had yet to speak - a dark-haired boy with gray eyes - pointedly stood next to the first boy that had rushed forward and set a hand onto his shoulder comfortingly.

As far as Kourin could discern, there wasn't a dishonest eye among them. However, after all that had transpired, she didn't trust nearly as easily as she once might have.

"There's one more thing," Chrono continued.

"What?" Kourin asked flatly.

"There's someone here that the Knights are protecting, isn't there?"

Kourin kept her expression steady, "And what if there is?"

Chrono met her gaze head-on, empowered by the presence of his companions around him, "We came here with the intention to change our fates." For the sake of Misaki who rested her hands assuredly on their shoulders, for Kamui who raised a hand behind him in silent farewell, for Miwa, for Mamoru, for Rive, and everyone else that they had left behind-

"So we don't intend to leave until we've done all that we can to grasp a new future," his eyes narrowed, "even if it means we have to wake them."

Kourin breathed in silently and let out a sigh. For a moment she had nearly been conflicted about what course of action she was meant to take. However, with one short sentence, Chrono had assuaged any of her concerns. The answer before her was clear.

"No matter what you know or whether you truly come from the future as you claim," she raised a hand skyward, "This Sanctuary and its Knights protect one who would give everything for the sake of others."

Kourin brought her hand down and willed the very floors and walls of the hallway to heed her call.

Yelps and cries sounded as partitions rose from the ground, forcing every member of the group apart. They reached for each other, calling out each other's names in desperation, but their struggles proved to be futile as the walls separating them reached towards the ceiling.

"And if you are here to disturb him…."

The walls sealed themselves flush with a deafening clang.

"Then I will show no mercy."

\---

_"Ren, wait."_

_Without turning around, Ren answered with faux cheer, "What is it, Kou-chan?"_

_Ren could imagine her wicked posture and sharp green eyes even without looking at her. Could see the way she clenched her hands at her sides as she gathered her words, opening and closing her mouth as she tried and failed to give voice to her thoughts as the silence drew on._

_Ren had always had a rather stellar imagination after all._

_But never much patience._

_He sighed, loudly._

_"If you're here to lecture me about Knightly duties then I'm going to go on ahead. Leo Leo's been at my throat about 'duty and justice' a lot lately."_

_"That's not what I'm here for."_

_Her voice was tentative but confident._

_"Then what is it, Kou-chan?"_

_"I have a request."_

_Ren idly tapped his fingers on the side of his thigh, just outside of Kourin's view. Eventually, he replied, "You're better off asking one of the others."_

_"It has to be you."_

_"Why?" Ren's voice lilted upwards, "Aren't I the traitorous Knight that let the intruders into the Sanctuary? If anything, you should be angry like Kai was."_

_His mind's eye filled in an image of Kourin faltering, of her losing her stride once more in the face of his reply-_

_"You may have let Misaki and the others into the Sanctuary," Kourin's voice bled with certainty, breaking the illusion that Ren had painted of her in his mind. A loud clack resounded in the hallway as she took a step forward confidently, "But you're still here."_

_Slowly, Ren turned around._

_Before him, Kourin was a picture of resolve - steady and composed. A pure tenacity, unclouded by his ruses._

_Still, he kept up his act and shrugged nonchalantly, "Maybe I just got used to the Sanctuary. There's plenty of room here after all-"_

_"Do you recall what happened when Raul Serra betrayed Aichi?"_

_He promptly stopped talking._

_"The Quatre Knights are tied to the Sanctuary by oath," Kourin recited calmly, "That's not to say that the Sanctuary can read into all of your intentions. It wasn't made with that purpose in mind to begin with. However-" Her eyes narrowed, "It will react accordingly when your oaths are truly broken."_

_After Serra's attempt to overthrow the Sanctuary and the former Knights to steal away the Seed, he had lost the privilege to even remain at the Sanctuary. Even now, the pitiable cries he had made as he gathered the fragments of his broken prison echoed. His was the fate of a Knight that had truly turned coat against his fellow Knights and broken the oath._

_Ren breathed in, the sighed a second time._

_"You and Leo Leo just love to bully me, don't you? You two are so troublesome, always poking at me with your logic and reason," he whined. Ren threw up his hands in defeat, "That's it. Send me back, erase my memories or whatever you want to do. I don't care."_

_For the first time since she confronted Ren, Kourin cracked a half-smile._

_"Complain all you'd like, but you've arguably been just as devoted as Kai since the very first day."_

_"Hearing that from you doesn't make me happy at all," Ren drawled._

_"Maybe not," Kourin managed a weak chuckle, "But regardless, I would like to thank you, for giving everyone a chance to say their goodbyes."_

_Ren pouted quietly, "That wasn't my intention."_

_"Whatever your intentions were, you had the Knights in mind," Kourin rebutted. She frowned and continued in a quieter tone, "That's also why I can't ask anyone else for this favor. The others may be devoted to our cause in one way or another now, but they don't know how to look after each other yet."_

_At once Ren's mind wandered to a conversation that he hadn't meant to hear from between the arcade pillars. He knew what Kourin's request would be, just as much as he knew that he wouldn't be able to refuse her._

_"How much time is there left?"_

_Kourin looked stunned for a moment before the surprise gave away to a sad smile. She closed her eyes, blond lashes fluttering as she did._

_"Less than I would like."_

\---

"Take out your deck," Kourin demanded harshly, "Now."

To his credit, Taiyou stood unflinching as he opposed her, "I refuse, Kourin-san."

After getting separated from the rest of the group, Taiyou had been redirected down a long, winding hallway until he reached a room with a sunken, circular platform, bordered on all sides by white columns. And waiting for him on the other side of the platform was Kourin.

"You claimed that you wanted to change the future, and yet, you're not willing to fight for it," Kourin's voice was flat, but her statement was starkly accusatory.

At that, Taiyou flinched but refused to reach for the deck that sat heavy in his pocket.

In actuality, he had come fully prepared to fight any of the Quatre Knights. Because he, of all people, owed the most to Chrono and everyone else.

He had been rescued twice. Twice.

Once from Relics and once from the Apostles.

And no matter what Chrono or Kazuma or anyone else said, Taiyou couldn't, wouldn't forget the tone of Darkface's weedy voice as he made his demands.

_"Break even one of our conditions and the boy will fall!"_

Even after he had been rescued, even as the world had begun to crumble around them, even on their journey to Cray – Taiyou had kept the memory of his past weakness alive and well in the back of his mind as a stern reminder. A way to keep his drive alive. 

The drive to fight anyone. The Apostles, the Quatre Knights, anyone.

Anyone except...

"You are the one person that I cannot fight, Kourin-san."

"Why?" Kourin asked, her voice still devoid of emotion.

Taiyou squared his shoulders and dared to meet her sharp gaze head-on, "Because in the future that I come from, you are one of Vanguard's most beloved figures. I don't know a single person that doesn't respect you, both as a person and as a fighter."

A beat passed before Kourin's expression morphed into a twisted smile. In contrast to all her earlier words, her voice was soft, almost vulnerable, "Do you think that I would be happy to hear that?"

"What... do you mean?" Taiyou asked, caught off-guard.

"If you know me in the future," a future where she was no longer at the Sanctuary, even after she had been freed from her duties, "then it means that I've lost all of my memories."

Because in that future, Tatsunagi Takuto was dead. 

\---

_The music that Takuto had heard for years upon years as a Concertmaster, the flow of fate between Earth and Cray, drew to a final ritardando. He took in a shuddering breath, only to realize that it felt like he had hardly taken in any air at all. If it hadn't been certain already, now he knew for sure: he was truly out of time._

_"Takuto-sama," Suiko clasped his hand. Her voice was soft and pleading._

_"Suiko," he whispered in response._

_Part of him wished that she had chosen to be more selfish and left him like the others had. He didn't fault Rekka, who he knew didn't want to see him die, nor Kourin, who had found her calling at the Sanctuary. Although, he would've also been remiss to admit that he didn't miss them dearly._

_The grip of the hands holding his tightened._

_Ah, right, Suiko. He didn't want her last memory of his life to be so somber, even if she was destined to forget it._

_"Thank you. You didn't have to stay."_

_"I wanted to stay," she replied, voice trembling._

_"That makes me happy to hear," his voice was thin and wispy, "But, I hope that from now on, you'll seek your own happiness, too."_

_Unable to speak, for fear of tears, Suiko nodded._

_That was much better, Takuto decided. It was good that he had managed to get the words out because as the seconds ticked on, he could feel his tongue, his limbs, grow heavier - lazy legato train underneath the constant overtone. Some part of him knew that he had reached the point where he couldn't say anything more, even if he wanted to._

_But it was all alright. Because there was nothing else for him to say or do._

_Takuto closed his eyes and felt the sensation of Suiko's hands holding his fade as the music drew to a coda._

_Then fell silent, at once._

\---

Even from afar, the lines of concern that lined Taiyou's face, the subtle hesitance in his brow as he watched Kourin intently, searching for something, was clear to her. The silence between them stretched until something clicked and Taiyou had found what he was looking for.

Slowly, cautiously, he took a step forward.

One step became two and two became three as he walked across the sunken platform until he reached the midpoint.

"Stay away," Kourin warned, once again on guard.

Taiyou paused and looked up at Kourin from where he stood. The forward pitch in his stance implied that he had no intentions of truly stopping - an unstoppable force in the face of an immovable object. 

That particular resolve unearthed an old memory of Kourin's.

On the day that the Link Joker invasion had ended, she had fought to keep hold of her memories, her world, while reversed. Even if that meant fighting to reverse Aichi. And in response, Aichi, the same uncertain and meek child that she had once thought so little of, had fought for the world's sake and hers' too.

But, it was funny.

Back then she had so desperately wanted to keep her existence alive through her memories. It was with that same fervor that Kourin had devoted herself to the cause of the Knights and the Sanctuary.

And yet, as she tried to recall the day, she couldn't recall what Aichi had said to her.

Couldn't even remember what his voice sounded like after just two years.

"Kourin-san."

But part of her wondered if it sounded anything like Taiyou's voice did when he called out to her – determined and earnest.

"When I first saw that you were here, I was relieved. Seeing you here made me feel like everything would be okay. Even now, I feel assured that you’re here. But..." Taiyou clenched a fist over his heart, "I think it's time that I found the strength that you wanted me to find."

He held out his hand in askance and smiled, bright as a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds, "I don't want to fight you, Kourin-san. I want to help you."

Kourin's expression remained somber, "Didn't you hear what I said? I'm not the 'Kourin' that you know. In the future that you live in, I'm a dead person without a grave." Because she had failed as a walker, as a caretaker to the Knights, and above all, as a friend.

"No," Taiyou took another step forward, "I'm certain. Even if you don't know who I am, you're still you, Kourin-san."

Kourin snapped, "I said, don't come any closer!"

He markedly ignored her words kept walking forward, one step after the next, "You're still protecting others and watching over them just like you always do in the future."

Taiyou had realized that Kourin's harsh tone hadn't been directed at him. It had been in defense of what she had been protecting.

"After Chrono-san opened my eyes from Kanzaki-san's philosophy, you were always there."

Kourin instinctively took a step back, but Taiyou's growing pace was faster. 

"You are one of the people who I admire the most and a person who I made a promise with."

Before she could protest again, he had closed the gap and stood just a few feet in front of her, finally standing the opposite side of the sunken platform.

"The United Sanctuary's reliable, respected, and beloved Branch Chief."

\---

_The rain overhead seeped into the ruins of what had once been the United Sanctuary Branch Building. Its once noble visage had been torn right open just earlier that day when two members of Company had decided to leave their mark, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake._

_"I'll have to leave the rest to you, Mimori," Ibuki said, his voice just barely louder than the sound of the rain. From the calculating look in his red eyes, he was already plotting countermeasures to Myoujin Ryuzu's calling card. "There are some people that I need to get in touch with."_

_"Do what you need to do. I'll handle things here."_

_Ibuki glanced over._

_Standing beside him in her signature white coat, was none other than United Sanctuary's branch leader, Mimori Kourin. Under her rain-kissed lashes, her emerald eyes were set firmly in front of her unwaveringly._

_Part of Ibuki wanted to apologize - Kourin had been out of her office because he had asked her to look into the Company. Had she been present when Company had attacked the branch, he couldn't help but feel like the outcome would've been much different from the derelict scene in front of them._

_But Kourin, to her credit, was impressively calm._

_The moment she had arrived on the scene, she had automatically taken charge of the situation, not missing a beat as she took stock of her staff and fighters' wellbeing. Ibuki would've been lying if he said that Kourin's overwhelming competence wasn't incredibly reassuring._

_Although they stood in what used to be the building's main lobby, with the fractured ceiling letting the rain wash over them, her steadiness made even him feel like all would be fine._

_"Thank you," Ibuki murmured, then turned and walked off with renewed purpose in his step._

_Once he had left, Kourin stepped forward to a person sitting on the ground, the last straggler after the day's events, and knelt down._

_"Taiyou-kun."_

_Taiyou's shoulders seized at the sound of Kourin's voice._

_"We should get you out of the rain," she said softly._

_"I," Taiyou took a breath to steady himself, "I'm sorry, Kourin-san. I couldn't get through to him or stop him." He wrapped his arms around his bruised knees together, willing himself to become smaller, and repeated, "I'm sorry."_

_A moment passed, filled only by the soft patter of rain before Kourin rested a hand on Taiyou's shoulder and said, "Taiyou-kun, lift your head."_

_When Taiyou looked up, there was a guilty, defeated look on his face. A face weighed down by failure._

_Kourin's grip on his shoulder tightened minutely as she spoke, "Thank you, for doing your best to protect the branch."_

_Her stern, level words seared Taiyou's chest. In all the time that he had known Kanzaki's successor, she had never been once to dance around topics or mince her words. And if the serious set of Kourin's face were any indication, she didn't intend to change that any time soon - she meant every last word._

_"But I didn't protect it," he protested. The surrounding destruction echoed as much plainly. He had wanted to, heavens knew he wanted to, but he had fallen woefully short._

_"Your intentions were in the right place. I, and everyone else, can recognize your feelings," Kourin rebutted.Her eyes softened as she continued, "And I'm certain that that other boy received your words, too. Your desire to connect can reach him. I know it."_

_Taiyou's eyes widened, struck by the weight of Kourin's words._

_And yet, one lingering worry still persisted._

_"What if," he hesitated, "What if it turns out that I'm not strong enough?"_

"My justice is absolute!" Hiroki said sneered, hand over his heart, "No one is a match for me!"

_Taiyou, of all people, knew that it was wrong to think so. But he had been powerless to prove Hiroki otherwise because he had lost._

_Kourin slid her hand off of Taiyou's shoulder._

_"Your failure and shortcoming today," she said as she stood up, "Will become your strength tomorrow." With a click of her heel, she reached her full height, easily towering over Taiyou, who was still on the ground. There was a rare smile on her face._

_"A strength beyond just winning in a fight," Kourin declared, "the strength to connect with others, even those that are suffering alone."_

_She reached out her hand to him, "So stand up, Taiyou-kun."_

_Two hands braced against the damp ground, unsteady at first, but quickly finding their bearing as they pushed against the ground. Taiyou curled one leg beneath him and reached out to clasp Kourin's outstretched hand. Once he did, Kourin gave him the tug he needed to stand on his own feet._

_The sound of the rain fizzled out to a complete stop._

_As Kourin looked over Taiyou once more, she knew for certain: the sun had broken through the clouds once more._

_"Kourin-san," Taiyou's voice was confident, assured, "May I ask you for a favor?"_

_"What is it?"_

_"One day, when I'm older, when I've found that strength," his voice gained momentum as he spoke, "One day, when I'm more like you - could you promise to face me in a Vanguard fight?"_

_"Of course," Kourin's replied, "It's a promise."_

_Taiyou's face brightened considerably and in response, Kourin couldn't help but smile a little wider too._

_"I look forward to see what strength you'll show me then, Taiyou-kun."_

\---

_"I'm sorry I'm late," Kourin said hurriedly as she slid into the booth._

_"No, don't worry about it. Miwa isn't here yet. I did go ahead and order for all of us, though."_

_"I appreciate it," Kourin said as she shed her coat. Once it was off, she reached over to the glass of water in front of her and took a long swig. When the glass came down empty, she sighed._

_"Long day?"_

_Kourin glanced up to the opposite side of the booth to find Misaki with her wrists tucked under her chin as she smiled knowingly._

_"You could say that," Kourin said as she drew a finger through the condensation on the glass, "The building repairs are going along well enough, but it's still been rather difficult on the staff overall."_

_"Sounds like hard work, Ms. Branch Chief," Misaki chuckled._

_A blush spread across Kourin's pale cheeks at the nickname, "Don't call me that. It's embarrassing."_

_"It's a wonder that anyone at our university thought you were the silent, brooding type," Misaki poked fun at Kourin._

_"Speak for yourself. Did you know there were rumors that you used to command underlings when you were in high school?"_

_"Where do people even get those kinds of ideas?"_

_"Beats me," Kourin flicked a droplet of moisture off of her fingertips and changed topics, "So, how are the stores doing?"_

_Misaki hummed, "Pretty good. The second store is still lagging a little bit behind the first store, but the growth rate has been beter than I projected a year ago."_

_"You did choose a pretty good location," Kourin noted._

_"It also helps that we have a former Asia Circuit contender working there with Kamui. Not to mention all the PR that Miwa does for both stores."_

_"Speaking of Miwa," Kourin interjected, "Where is he?"_

_"Ah, I think he said that he had a meeting with Ibuki today-"_

_"Kourin, Nee-chan, I'm here!"_

_Miwa yelled as he skidded to a halt at the end of the table, breathing heavily. Everything about his appearance from his wind-swept hair to the way only one of the sleeves to his white turtleneck were rolled up suggested that he had run all the way from the Vanguard Association Main Headquarters to the restaurant._

_"You're late," Misaki and Kourin both said in unison._

_Miwa clapped both hands together and bowed his head, "I'm sorry! Ibuki had something really important to say."_

_Silence fell over the table._

_For a prolonged minute, Miwa wondered if his two friends were actually mad at him when a particular sound piqued his attention. He carefully peeked over his clasped hands just as Misaki and Kourin started laughing._

_"Sit down already," Misaki relented, "We're not mad."_

_"Geez, way to pull a guy's leg," Miwa pouted but sat down anyway._

_"So, what did Ibuki have to say?" Kourin asked._

_"There are some general findings about Myoujin Ryuzu and the Company, but I'll fill you in on the exact details later," Miwa pressed on, his gray eyes gleaming, "Because apparently Ibuki finally got in touch with the cavalry."_

_"The Quatre Knights?" Kourin asked._

_Miwa nodded._

_The illusory Quatre Knights were the stuff of conspiracy or legend within the Vanguard community, depending on who was asked._

_The indisputable facts were that they were a group of four, impossibly strong fighters who only seemed to appear conveniently whenever things started to go south. But after their first appearance at the little-known Messiah Scramble tournament, rumors thrived, suggesting everything from the four being the real executives driving the Vanguard Association to rich nightly vigilantes that only answered to the Tatsunagi Foundation._

_However, of all the people in the world, Misaki, Miwa, and Kourin were part of the few that knew the barest truth about them._

_As Ibuki had claimed, they were immortal guardians, protectors of Vanguard and Cray._

_"Apparently they have a major clue concerning the location of one of Myoujin's apparatuses that they're going to monitor for us. In the meantime, Ibuki said we'll have to do without their direct help," Miwa explained._

_"It's not like we're helpless without them," Kourin crossed her arms._

_"We're not, but you have to admit that they're really helpful," Miwa pointed out, "Who doesn't want four immortal helpers on their side?"_

_"I still think it's a problem if we're over-reliant on them."_

_"I wonder if you'd still say that if you actually met any of them in person," Miwa leaned back in his seat, "It's a surreal experience. You really just get hit with this feeling that you just know them or like they're just been there all your life."_

_Misaki hummed thoughtfully._

_"Misaki, you're not really entertaining this are you?" Kourin asked._

_"I can't say because I've never met any of them in person either, but," Misaki looked to Kourin pointedly, "Didn't we feel the same when we first met in university?"_

_Kourin opened, then closed her mouth. It was true - despite both being less-than-sociable individuals and Kourin having been a sort of hot topic for being a rare Tatsunagi Foundation Scholar, they had hit things off impossibly well from the get-go. That spring day when Misaki approached Kourin, who had been sitting alone on a courtyard bench, and asked "May I sit here?" Kourin had made room without a second thought._

_Because honestly, Misaki had never felt like a stranger._

_"You're not wrong, but," Kourin scrunched her nose, "I don't know. I just don't think we should apotheosize them like Ibuki does just because they claim to be 'immortal guardians.'"_

_Miwa laughed good-naturedly, "Ibuki does kind of idolize them, doesn't he? Actually, now that I think about it, if he looked any younger, he'd probably fit right in with them. They seem to have a penchant for white coats and brooding faces."_

_"Doesn't that mean Kourin would fit in too?" Misaki raised._

_"Oh! You're right. Whitecoat and brooding face."_

_Feeling her face getting warm once more, Kourin frowned sharply at Miwa, "Do you mind repeating that, Miwa Taishi?"_

_"N-no thanks. I'm good," Miwa held up both palms in surrender._

_Kourin huffed, "Good."_

_Despite their banter, the atmosphere at the table was warm and friendly. Much like before, Kourin hadn't actually been mad, so much as exasperated at Miwa's antics. The whole scene made Misaki smile from her side of the table booth._

_"Oh right, besides the whole Myoujin Ryuzu thing, I wanted to ask you two for some help," Miwa switched gears._

_"What is it?" Misaki asked._

_"So, I started mentoring this lil rag-tag group of kids that are trying to get into competitive Vanguard. They're all pretty talented, but one of 'em is struggling with finding a clan that works for him."_

_Kourin leaned against the table, curiosity piqued, "What clans do he and his teammates play?"_

_"Let's see, we have one Tachikaze user in their team leader, one Murakumo user, and the one that struggling with his clan plays Nubatama, but he insists that it doesn't feel right," Miwa ticked off each member with his fingers, "Though, he did say that he was really interested in Ibuki's deck after watching him play in the G quests."_

_Misaki rubbed her chin, "That's a little unfortunate. Link Joker is a clan that's as rare as Gear Chronicle. Maybe even rarer actually. I don't think I've ever seen anyone other than Ibuki use it."_

_"That's what I thought too. But, y'know maybe I can pull some strings and ask Ibuki to get some of those cards for the kid. He definitely owes me one for running our meeting so late today…"_

_As the conversation continued and their food finally arrived, the three of them fell into their regular cadence: easy and light, sometimes with a touch of banter or a disagreement, but nothing that didn't end in a shared smile._

_When they had all had their fill of food and companionship, Kourin split off in the opposite direction to catch the last train. But while her heels clicked on the sidewalk path, the lingering warmth of their evening assured her of one thing._

_Her path, her future, was one that she would never walk alone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you guess which team Miwa's mentoring? Hint: whose role is Miwa fulfilling as a Euro League pro fighter?
> 
> Anyways, here we are! Kourin is here and Takuto is not! 
> 
> This whole chapter was a later development that I cobbled together when I realized back in chapter 3 that Takuto did die and spontaneously revive just for Neon Messiah (only to questionably die before G? His lack of appearance and Nome referring to him in past-tense leads me to believe that he ded). 
> 
> Alas, with Takuto gone, so goes Kourin's memories and her place at the Sanctuary. At first, I intended to just kind of shove her character under a rug but upon more thought, I realized that Ren's absence from this timeline opens up the UniSanc Branch Chief spot and the fact that (besides Photon fun) Kourin exclusively played UniSanc nation decks... yup. 
> 
> I wanted to slap a doodle of Kourin's UniSanc outfit here, but this week ended up being pretty busy for me, hence the lateness of this chapter, so it's going on the list of "art that I need to retcon". Woot. (On a side note... I realize that because of time zones, a lot of these chapters are, in fact, coming out on Monday instead of Sunday. Oops. Sanctum Monday, anyone?)
> 
> Thanks as always for reading! I'll swing by again with another chapter next Sanctum Sunday ☆


	9. Exedra.Thunderstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lessons in letting go, lessons in holding on.

_As each match finished, the gavel of judgment fell upon Myoujin Ryuzu’s ideal future, shaking the foundations of Stride Gate. When the fourth strike, the fourth judgment was laid down, the very seams of the Gate’s existence was stretched near its absolute limit._

_Even before the final decree had been laid, the interior of Stride Gate had begun to implode unto itself._

_However, there were still eleven people trapped within._

_“Watch out!” Enishi’s voice bellowed across the gap._

_Tokoha turned around just in time to see the great tree that stood behind her pitch forward, crashing through the arch of flowers and descending directly towards her. She flung herself to the edge of her islet, but there just wasn’t enough space to clear all of the falling tree._

_The shadow cast by the twisting branches loomed over her as if in slow motion, filling her vision completely-_

_A gust of wind rippled past, accompanied by a flash of white as a figure leaped in front of her with both hands outstretched._

_From two gloved palms, a jet of water shot forward, piercing right through the center of the tree before splintering the trunk cleanly in half. The halves creaked loudly, suspended in the air as the roots unraveled, then came crashing down on either side of Tokoha harmlessly._

_“Can you stand?”_

_She jolted as she realized that her rescuer had turned around and offered a gloved hand._

_“Y-yes,” Tokoha replied shakily. She reached out and grasped the hand with a quiet “thank you” as he helped her stand._

_Once firmly back on her own two feet, a small tumble of rocks alerted her to a flash of red hair in her periphery._

_“Anjou!” Enishi called out. He precariously made his way over from the stained glass wall on his own islet, leaping from step to step until he managed to scramble onto Tokoha’s side with one final leap. The moment his feet found purchase, he raced to Tokoha and Leon and blurted, “Are you alright?”_

_“I’m fine Enishi-san,” Tokoha managed. She was still a bit shaken, but considering the alternative, she was more than alright. And that was all thanks to the person next to her- “Um, you are?”_

_“Leon,” her mysterious savior replied._

_“Leon-san, thank you for saving me,” Tokoha affirmed with a respectful bow of her head. “But how did you get here-”_

_Leon looked up sharply, his violet eyes focused on something in the distance. After a moment, he muttered, “They’re coming.”_

_Tokoha hadn’t registered what Leon meant when the faint sound of screaming brought her eyes up to what Leon was looking at. A figure, no, a person - Tokoha realized with faint horror - was tumbling through the air above them._

_As the figure drew larger and the screaming grew louder, Leon raised his hands once more and summoned a thin stream of water that bolted up and wrapped itself around the person’s legs like a ribbon, bringing their fall to an abrupt halt before slowly lowering them down to where Tokoha, Enishi, and Leon stood._

_No sooner than when the person - a dark redhead with olive eyes - landed, he jerked his chin upwards and yelled, “Ren! What was that for?!”_

_Tokoha's attention, however, was drawn elsewhere. To the two people sidled up on either side of the redhead._

_“Am! Luna!”_

_“Tokoha!” both of them exclaimed in unison._

_In no time at all, the three of them tackled each other into a tight hug. Whatever regrets they had had when they first stepped into Stride Gate were cleansed as they cried in each other’s arms. Tokoha, in particular, locked herself tightly around her two friends, as if she never intended to let go._

_It was a sight that made even Leon soften a little._

_And it appeared that he wasn’t the only one._

_Enishi stood adjacent to Leon, hands clenched into fists at his side. He hovered, uncertain of whether or not to approach them. Whether or not he had the right to approach them._

_“Do you want to join them?” Leon prompted._

_Enishi’s eyes jolted over to Leon, surprised at first, before melting back into a pensive curl. “I shouldn’t. At least-” he glanced over again to where the three girls stood, arm-in-arm, and unconsciously smiled, “Not for now.”_

_At that, Leon had nothing more to say._

_“Wow, what a touching scene,” another voice piped as an arm slung over Leon’s shoulders. Violet eyes glanced over just in time to see Ren wipe away a fake tear, “Nao-kki, Leo Leo, hold me I think my heart might burst.”_

_“Ren!” Naoki startled when he realized the Knight’s presence, “Why the hell-”_

_“Ah, ah, ah! No cursing in front of the children,“ Ren interrupted. He gestured to the two people he had brought down with him from the upper levels of the gate with markedly less free-falling than Naoki, Am, and Luna._

_Taiyou and Hiroki were so quiet that Leon had nearly missed them entirely. They stood close together, in their own little bubble for the time being, with Hiroki looking down at the ground sheepishly as he pinched the hem of Taiyou’s sleeve._

_To Leon’s relief, they both seemed fine._

_However, the situation at hand was still far from safe._

_“Where’s Kai?” Leon’s voice cut through Naoki and Ren’s bickering._

_“He went up higher than I did,” Naoki noted, “But I don’t know how far, or if he found anyone up there.”_

_Leon frowned, “He’s taking too long.”_

_“Well,” Ren hummed as he pointed up, “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Leon followed Ren’s finger to see two silhouettes leap from islet to islet, descending gradually to where everyone else stood._

_The first to touch down was Shinonome Shouma. Even with the backdrop of Stride Gate’s swirl of colors, his skin was pallid, bordering pasty. As he came closer, it became obvious that his whole body was trembling faintly._

_The second person was, of course, Kai._

_And on his back, an unconscious Kiba Shion._

_“Shion!” Tokoha exclaimed in alarm. She, Am, and Luna all crowded around Kai, only to blanch at the sight in front of them._

_Shion’s usually neat blond hair was scraggly and dusted with dirt. An assortment of cuts and bruises marred his skin, but more concerningly, one of his ankles were bent well out of place at a grotesque angle. A tacky line of blood trailed over Shion’s shoe, as if confirming that it was well and truly broken._

_“He’ll be fine,” Kai’s stern voice cut through Tokoha’s worried fluttering, “But we need to go. When the Gate collapses, everything inside of it will be destroyed.”_

_A sinking feeling pitched in Tokoha’s gut, “What about Chrono?”_

_Kai frowned at Tokoha’s words and glanced over to Leon, Ren, and Naoki, “If there’s anyone left, then they must be at the top.”_

_“Please,” Tokoha insisted. “I don’t know who you really are or if I can ask this of you,” she clutched a fist against her chest, “But, we can’t leave without him.”_

_A hand rested on either of Tokoha’s shoulders comfortingly._

_“I would like to ask you too,” Am’s voice was steady as she bowed her head, “Please help our friend.”_

_“Me too,” Luna bowed in unison, “Please!”_

_Behind the three of them, Taiyou’s eyes watched them pleadingly as he bowed with yet another echo of, “Please!”_

_And behind him, Enishi bowed, too, in silent askance._

_Kai, Ren, Leon, and Naoki all glanced at each other in silent communication. They had deliberated for no more than a few seconds and not a single word had been exchanged, but they were all on the same wavelength._

_“Alright, hand him over,” Naoki stepped forward. With utmost care, Kai passed Shion’s body onto Naoki’s back. Once the transfer was secure, Kai nodded to the others, “I’ll be back.”_

_“Have a nice trip, Kai!” Ren waved._

_“Be careful,” Leon added._

_“Wait, does this mean you’re going to save him?” Tokoha asked hurriedly._

_Kai, who had been just about to leave once more, turned back around and leveled his teal eyes onto her._

_In many ways, it was the first time that Tokoha had personally encountered Kai. Even though he had dotted her memories of the G Quests and Ultimate Stage by proxy, she had never faced him herself. Up close, Kai seemed younger than she had initially thought, but no less stern than he appeared on stadium mega screens._

_Belatedly, Tokoha realized Kai's white coat was stained from hem to collar with dirt. As were the knees and calves of his pants and, most tellingly, his fingertips were completely caked._

_“We’ve been working closely with Ibuki,” Kai said._

_“What he means to say is that we’ve been ‘helping’ for a while now,” Ren continued without missing a beat, “We are the Quatre Knights, after all.”_

_“Protectors of Vanguard,” Leon added, as means of explanation._

_“And Earth and Cray,” Naoki finished._

_Tokoha had never heard of the phrase “Quatre Knights” in her entire life. And, besides Kai, she had never even met any of the strangers in white before her._

_But somehow, she felt like she could trust them._

_So when Kai’s piercing gaze bored into her as he said, “Leave your friend to us.”_

_She believed in them._

\---

_“Ibuki!”_

_Kai’s voice was loud and far, far too concerned for Ibuki’s own liking. But even so, that he had somehow made it into the accursed realm that was Stride Gate’s interior made Ibuki want to laugh._

_“Ibuki!” Kai repeated._

_Ibuki peeled his eyes open to find Kai looking down at him worriedly. And even though there was dirt smudged on his chin and Kai had certainly looked better before, Ibuki couldn’t help but think that a knight in shining armor had finally arrived._

_“Y-you came,” he choked out, “How did you… get here?”_

_Kai’s expression eased ever so slightly before his brows knit themselves back into his usual stern scowl, “We were tracking the Gate when it opened.”_

_The Knights had been doing what Ibuki had requested of them shortly after GIRS Crisis - monitoring the Gate from their undisclosed perch in the sky, the Sanctuary. For the most part, the Gate seemed to be entirely physically constructed, unlike the manifested walls of the Sanctuary - a true satellite revolving around Earth._

_However, once Stride Gate had fully opened, its true nature came to light._

_A Gate where, within the stream of fate, the hollow center carved out a space that was exactly like that of the Sanctuary - a space where the flow between Earth and Cray could transcend imagination. The perfect space for Myoujin Ryuzu to manifest the stage for his arbiters and their fated opponents._

_A space-time corridor between Earth and Cray._

_And as fortune would have it, no other humans alive were nearly as adept with the intricacies of traversing between space-time corridors than the Quatre Knights, who had lived inside of one for nearly four years._

_Once they had safely arrived in the heart of the gate and realized the precarious stability of the whole structure, their task focus had been immediately set on evacuating everyone within the Gate before it collapsed. Which was how Kai found himself, knelt in the middle of a crumbling space-time corridor with Ibuki’s upper body propped up in his arms._

_But there was no time to linger on the finer details._

_“Nevermind that, we have to leave,” Kai pressed, “Where’s Shindou Chrono?”_

_Ibuki coughed, breath seizing in his chest uncomfortably. The blow that Chronofang Tiger had dealt to him had definitely cracked some ribs. Perhaps worse, he thought grimly, considering how short his breath felt. Shakily, he pointed up, towards the top of the gate and mustered, “Chasing the future.”_

_As Kai drew his eyes up to the blinding peak of Stride Gate, his frown deepened._

_On one hand, he had his duty as a Knight, to protect Vanguard and see the flow of fate through to the end. Leaving the future to such a young boy was undoubtedly unwise, in Kai’s mind. But, on the other hand, leaving Ibuki to bleed out as the Gate collapsed was an option that he didn't want to choose either._

_Sensing a glimmer of Kai’s internal conflict, Ibuki reached out and weakly grasped the edge of Kai’s coat._

_“What you entrusted… to me."_

_Kai’s eyes dropped back down to Ibuki, lips pressed in a tight line._

_“I entrusted,” Ibuki took in a shuddering breath, “To him.”_

_In short, “Trust me.”_

_Perhaps, Ibuki thought, it wasn’t the best way to convince Kai to leave the fate of the world in Chrono’s hands. Especially considering that as far as Ibuki knew, Kai trusted very few people besides himself._

_Still, as Ibuki’s consciousness began to waver once more, he felt Kai’s grip tighten as the Knight readjusted his hold on Ibuki’s body._

_There was a slow, steady swoop as Kai lifted him off the ground that make Ibuki’s eyes swim with the eddies of color from Stride Gate all around them. The flashing lights colored Kai’s stained white coat an assortment of colors - green, then purple, then blue, then ren. But in the midst of registering Kai’s movements and the sharp pain that shot through his chest, a delirious question crossed Ibuki’s mind before everything faded to black._

_Had Kai’s rings always been that color?_

\---

"Guard! Dark Dragon, Plotmaker Dragon!" Kazuma set the card onto the Guardian circle, "Ritual! Plus ten thousand shield!"

On the other side of the prison, Naoki whistled, "Nice going. But you're not out of the woods yet! Triple drive!"

The first check, a Brawler, Wildclock Dragon. No trigger

Second check, a Brawler, Wildfist Dragon. No trigger.

Kazuma sighed in relief. Even if the last card was a trigger, the attack to his Vanguard wouldn't go through. A godsend, considering that at five damage he couldn't afford to take a single more point.

"Tch, c'mon, give me a break," Naoki chuckled as he slid the drive check into his hand.

"That's my line," Kazuma smiled grimly, "Really, I'm not sure what else I should've expected from someone that's beaten Shindou before."

“I’m still not sure what you’re talking about,” Naoki admitted, “But I guess I should say thanks for the compliment.” He reached over to the top of his deck and called out, “Drive check!” 

The third check yielded a Brawler, Plasmakick Dragon. A critical trigger.

"You're kidding," Kazuma smiled, despite himself.

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Naoki held up the card between two fingers tauntingly. "But if you ain't got the will, it ain't gonna work. All effects go to my rearguard Wildfist and-" he pointed to the opposite side of the prison, "Big Bang Knuckle Turbo attacked all of your rearguards in that attack."

Kazuma clicked his tongue and slid all of his rearguards into the drop zone. While they made for good ritual fodder, he had hoped to keep Morfessa on the field for his next turn. As it turned out, however, Ishida Naoki was a force to be reckoned with.

"Hey, Ishida, was it?"

"Honorifics, kid, I’m at least three years older than you are," Naoki cocked a hand on his hip. He continued muttering under his breath, just loud enough for Kazuma to catch, "You're just as bad as Kamui was and he was in middle school." Kazuma wasn't entirely sure what the Card Capital employee had to do with Naoki, but there was a vague feeling that he was forgetting something.

"Right, Ishida-san, then," Kazuma said slowly, almost sarcastically. And neverminding the fact that Naoki didn't look much older than himself.

"Better. What do ya want?"

"The way that you fight is genuine," Kazuma couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face as he spoke, "Even I can tell that much."

Naoki's husky chuckle rang out loudly over the steady crackling of his prison walls, "I get what you mean. It's a fun match, isn't it?"

It was. And at Naoki’s reply, the feeling that they understood each other - that they just got each other - amplified in Kazuma. 

There was so much riding on a single card game - the fate of the world, the future, the debt that he still hadn't repaid - and he was almost certain that Naoki had something on the line, too.

And yet, every draw, every play, every step their match was wholly, devastatingly fun.

It was the type of match that one got lost in, one that shut of every other insignificant detail in favor of flooding all senses with the question of, "what's next?" Not because of all that hung in the balance, but just the sheer enjoyment of a card game, shared between two opponents.

It was fighting his brother for the first time in the Onimaru household, the first time he fought against Chrono, and several other matches that kept dragging Kazuma back into the game after he thought he had had enough.

"It is fun," Kazuma admitted. 

Then, he frowned, "But that's also why I can't fully understand you."

Naoki’s expression piqued curiously, “What do you mean?”

“You’re obviously really strong and you enjoy Vanguard. So why stay here?”

"Ah," Naoki's olive eyes brightened with understanding. His smile became slightly tighter, slightly more strained, "It's a long story."

"I have time," Kazuma offered. He really didn't, but it wasn't like his opponent had any way of knowing.

Naoki regarded his opponent for a beat longer, but eventually sighed and gave in. He had never been one for patience and long-hand thought, after all, and he was having a genuinely good time. 

"Alright then. Let's see, where does this even start? The Cardfight club, no there was an idol, no, no wait…."

\---

_After the initial shock in response to the collapse of Stride Gate, a panicked race to the nearest hospital to get Shion and Ibuki to emergency care, and the lingering question of "what to do with a mastermind-turned-infant named Myoujin Ryuzu?" Naoki quietly watched from afar as relief flooded over those that had survived the whole ordeal._

_All the tears and worries that had been held back in the midst of their escape flooded back full force as they all processed just what they had accomplished._

_It was a touching scene, but it was also one that Naoki couldn't help but feel like he was intruding by watching. Perhaps, he supposed, it meant that it was time for the Quatre Knights to take their leave of Earth once more. As soon as Kai got in a word with Ibuki, then they were all geared to go back to the Sanctuary-_

_"Quatre Knight, yes?"_

_Naoki froze._

_He could recognize that sharp voice in his sleep. Had done so, several times before, in fact._

_He sucked in a deep, steadying breath, then turned around._

_Kourin's hair was a little longer, her skin a little peachier since the last time that he had seen her._

_One morning, just like any other morning, Naoki and the rest of the Knights had roused, ready to start their daily routines - regular upkeep, promised fights, patrols, and the like._

_He likely should have noticed that something was wrong when Kourin didn’t do her usual morning maintenance. Should have noticed that he hadn’t passed by her during his afternoon patrol. But instead, the day had already come to a close when he knocked on the door to Kourin’s room and found her sitting on the floor, dazed as she asked, “Who are you?”_

_It was then that Ren revealed the fate of Tatsunagi Takuto._

_His first death to take his Void self into oblivion hadn’t been kind to him. The moment he had returned to Earth, he had been a ticking time bomb, awaiting detonation._

_And when he had finally passed, he took the Kourin that they knew with him._

_Faced with a new Kourin who didn't know who they, or even Aichi, were none of the Knights had been willing to force her to stay at the Sanctuary. Not when she had escaped from the web of fate that they, themselves, were still entangled in._

_So as the person who had been closest to her, Naoki had personally gone to Earth with her and dropped her off at the Tatsunagi residence._

_“Yeah, I’m one of the Knights,” Naoki replied, willing his voice to remain even._

_Kourin studied him carefully, meticulously, before asking, "May I have your name?"_

_"Oh, uh. It's Naoki. Ishida Naoki."_

_"Ishida Naoki," Kourin repeated, as if testing the name. "My name is Mimori Kourin. I am the acting Branch Chief of the United Sanctuary Branch of the Vanguard Association."_

_When Naoki had dropped Kourin off, she had still been in a stupor and was hardly able to walk without support. In the time that had elapsed since then, Kourin had regained her footing and confidence._

_And while Naoki knew that this Kourin was a completely different person, on an entirely different scale from a memory wipe, he couldn’t help but catch on the similarities between the Kourin in front of him and the version from his memories. It was the same feeling that he had been rocked with when he had sent Misaki away, years prior._

_It was, in one word, overwhelming._

_“N-nice to meet you,” he managed._

_"Likewise," Kourin nodded, "I would like to preface by saying that I still don't approve of the Quatre Knights' methods."_

_"Uh, if you have an issue with that ya might want to talk to Kai. Or Ren-"_

_"But," Kourin cut off sharply._

_Naoki pursed his lips together and gulped unconsciously._

_"As a Branch Chief, I would like to formally thank you for your assistance," Kourin tipped her head in a shallow bow. Then, when she raised her head, her expression softened into a small smile, "But as a person, I would like to thank you… for helping those children return safely. So please, hold your head up and smile, Ishida-san."_

_In the time that had passed since Naoki had said goodbye to his old life, to Misaki, and then Kourin, he had completely come to terms with his station as a Knight. However, that wasn't to say that he wasn't impossibly human underneath the white he wore._ _No matter how much effort Naoki put into willing himself not to cry, he could already feel the wetness pooling in his eyes._

_Even so, he willed himself to smile, for a job well done._

_"You can call me Naoki if you want,” he said as the first tear slid down his face, “And you're welcome… Ms. Branch Chief."_

\---

"And the rest of it is history."

Kazuma was stunned in place.

In part, because of the story that Naoki had revealed to him. But more pertinently, because it seemed like the two of them had much, much more in common than he had initially thought.

"It's not the happiest story, I know," Naoki said wryly, "But I gave my promise when I took my oath as a Knight and I don't intend to break that promise any time soon." He set his hand on his final rearguard, "I attack your Vanguard with Wildfist Dragon!"

"Perfect guard!" Kazuma flipped a card in his damage zone over, "Evil refuser Dragon, quintet wall!" From the top of Kazuma's deck, two grade 1's, one draw trigger, and two critical triggers were brought forth.

"And!" he fanned out the top three cards of his drop zone, revealing three grade 1 units, "Ritual! Plus ten thousand shield!"

Naoki clicked his tongue, "Turn end."

Kazuma let out a shuddering breath and took stock of the situation. After Naoki's attacks, his field was completely bare and he had three cards in his hand.

Among them, a single Dragfall Luard looked back up at him with a haunting smile. 

The card had been foisted onto him when he had been taken by the Apostles, to guarantee Ultima’s awakening. So, after his win that burned Chrono’s Generation Zone to dust, Kazuma would’ve been completely content to burn it to dust as well. But in the end he had kept it - at Luard’s insistence. 

_So that neither of us forgets, what we owe to those that saved us._

"Ishida-san."

"What is it now?"

"It turns out that we're actually really similar," Kazuma chuckled as he stood his units and drew a card, "I had a really boring life too, but I was saved multiple times by the curly haired idiot that dragged me back to Vanguard."

"You've got a sharp tongue on you, don'tcha?" Naoki noted, amused. "But, I can relate to that."

"Yeah, I do," Kazuma admitted freely, "That guy stuck by me, annoying as it was at first. It's thanks to him that I was able to find my drive and stick things through to the end."

Dragging Kazuma out of his mind-numbing everyday life, helping him reunite with his brother, rescuing him from the Apostles - Chrono had done a lot for him in the relatively short time that they had known each other. And it was debts like those that made Kazuma absolutely certain of one thing:

"That's why I think if our positions right now were reversed, I feel like I would probably be doing the same thing you are right now."

And that was where the fast-paced fun of their fight tapered off to destiny's call. 

Fighting Naoki wasn't as simple as any of the other fateful fights that Kazuma had faced. Because while winning meant getting one step closer to potentially saving their world...

Kazuma looked back up to Naoki, who stood at ease at the opposite end of the prison.

… it would be at the unflinching cost of Naoki's own unpaid debt.

"Hey.”

Naoki cocked one hand on his hip and lowered his other hand that loosely gripped his cards, seven-strong. His tone was uncharacteristically serious as he spoke, "Don't you dare start going easy on me. I definitely wouldn't go easy on you, especially if our positions were reversed."

The stray similarities in their personalities and their histories with Vanguard had made their match enjoyable because of how easy it was to understand each other, to connect. However, they were also too similar, in the burdens they carried and the debts that they owed to others. 

It was fun, but also incredibly bittersweet. 

Kazuma reached up, scrubbed a hand through his hair, then sighed forcefully, "I'm done overthinking this. Ishida-san!"

He pointed right at Naoki with his free hand, "I'm going to defeat you, repay my debt back to Chrono and help him grasp the future he desires! One where guys like us can enjoy matches like this without all these stupid complications!"

Despite himself, Naoki smirked as he yelled back in kind, "Go ahead and try!"

"Stride generation!" Kazuma plucked the Dragfall Luard out of his hand and slammed it into his drop zone. From the top of his Generation zone, "From the depth of the abyss, grant me power to reach beyond! Stride! Dragabyss, Luard!"

"Huh," Naoki mused, "Not using your fancy skill to Stride for free this time?"

"No, because I've already assembled all the pieces that I need right here," Kazuma set his hand on his drop zone and fanned out the cards across the table.

Besides the Luard that he had just discarded there were several triggers that he had used to guard and exactly twelve normal units that counted as grade ones in the drop zone - a whopping Ritual 12.

"Dragabyss Luard's skill."

_Our skill_ , Luard had said, his golden eyes blazing with vengeance, _And our power that we choose to wield, without getting overwhelmed. So that we can move forward from our sins._

"For every four grade 1's cards in my drop zone, my entire front row receives ten thousand power."

At least three attacks with 30,000 power, before any base power or skills attached.

A line of sweat drew down the side of Naoki's neck as he smiled, blood thundering through his ears. Despite his goading, he was still a Knight at his core - just as much as he was a person experiencing the thrill of a once-in-a-lifetime match.

"Bring it on."

\---

_"It seems that I'm indebted to you once more," Ibuki said quietly._

_He had awoken just an hour before visitation hours ended, as the sun began to dip beneath the skyline in farewell. After a brief conversation with a doctor and a helpful dose of painkillers, the only one who remained in the private hospital room was Kai, who had stayed behind long after everyone else, including the other Knights, had gone._

_However, Ibuki noted, ever since he had woken up Kai seemed content to cross his arms and scowl in silence._

_"I apologize," Ibuki continued softly, "But I don't regret the approach that I chose to take, even if it was a little reckless."_

_Kai's scowl only seemed to deepen before he abruptly stood up and began to walk toward the door._

_"Kai! Wait!" A panic rose in Ibuki's chest._

_The thought that Kai and, by extension, the Knights, could walk away and never return frankly scared him. They had been the ones that had saved him from Oksizz, from Brandt, from himself, years ago. And unconsciously, Ibuki realized as he watched Kai's retreating form, they were the ones he wanted to show that he had grown, that he had changed and atoned - more than anyone else in the world._

_"Next time," Kai's voice was harsh, strident, "You decide to make such reckless, irresponsible plans again, tell me first."_

_Next time._

_Two little words that felt like they could rock the bed out from underneath Ibuki's back as his eyes clung to the dirt-stained coat that Kai wore on his shoulders._

_"You have my word."_

_Kai didn’t turn around, but his grip on the doorknob loosened, “I have to go back and take stock of the other Knights.”_

_“I won’t keep you, then. But, really,” Ibuki wished he hadn’t been bedridden so that he could properly bow to Kai, in solemn appreciation, “Thank you, for saving everyone and… for trusting me.”_

_For several seconds, Kai remained silent._

_Then, he turned the doorknob to the room and pushed the door open._

_Ibuki’s mood dipped in disappointment as Kai moved to leave once more. He supposed that he did deserve some of Kai’s ire, especially after the kidnapping mess that had happened when the Knights had actually stepped away after the GIRS Crisis. The path of atonement was a long one and Ibuki still had so much to go, it seemed._

_“I’ll see you later, Ibuki.”_

_Kai’s voice was followed by the click of the door as it closed shut._

_But even so, in the sterile quiet of the hospital room, Ibuki huffed good-naturedly and closed his eyes as he rested._

_“I’ll see you later, Kai.”_

\---

_The weather outside danced between the boundary of seasons. Not quite cold enough to continue under the banner of winter, but not quite warm enough to claim the name of spring. A crisp, chilly breeze carded through Naoki's hair as he approached the familiar sidewalk bordering the walls of Miyaji Academy._

_It was a Sunday, close to summer break, and well past sunset so most of the school was closed up. However, from Naoki’s vantage point, he could still make out the front steps and the windows to classrooms that he had once been familiar with. It had been in those very halls, after all, that Naoki had first joined the Cardfight Club - that very place where he had once declared that Aichi would return._

_Would always have a place to return to._

_But in the end, it was likely that without Aichi's influence, Miyaji Academy never had a Cardfight club to begin with._

_"Is it as you remember it?" Leon asked, from his right._

_"Yeah," Naoki replied quietly, "It is."_

_But at the same time, it wasn't._

_Walking down all the same streets and recognizing all the places that Naoki had frequented had made him nostalgic for sure. However, the more he walked along the same paths he had once walked, the more he slowly took stock of everything that had changed in his absence, he was filled with another feeling._

_The feeling that he was watching the world through a window._

_Because the people, the sights, the sensations - all of it felt foreign._

_Naoki, himself, felt like a foreigner._

_"A lot of time has passed, hasn't it?" he said off-handedly._

_"It has," Leon's reply was curt, succinct._

_Naoki closed his eyes and breathed in slowly._

_No matter how much the world spun, no matter what changed, the world as Naoki remembered it would always remain the same: a world where a kind boy, the Asia Ciruit champion, founded a rag-tag Cardfight club in an unused physics classroom. Where Naoki had laughed and teased and gotten frustrated over a simple card game as his friends watched and laughed alongside him._

_When he breathed out, he opened his eyes and smiled._

_"Let's go. It's about time."_

_Leon watched him for a moment more, then nodded._

_The two walked along more familiar streets and street corners, passing through the heart of a small shopping district on their way to their destination._

_"Do you think you can give me some pointers for tournament play, Leon?" Naoki asked as they loitered outside for a moment, "I've never actually played in any besides the Vanguard Koushien qualifiers and that was years ago."_

_"I can help you with what I know, but it's been a while for me too."_

_"Well shucks. I guess we'd better hope that he can give us some pointers," Naoki chuckled with a tinge of nervousness._

_Leon glanced over to Naoki in his periphery, "Are you going to be alright?"_

_At that Naoki stilled completely. There was a calm that settled over him, one that erased his doubts and worries as he faced his duty as a Knight. In Leon's mind, it was not unlike the way that a great thunderstorm gathered from afar, across the length of a horizon._

_"I'll be fine," Naoki chuckled, "If anything, I feel a little bad for you. I get that I got picked since I didn't go to the Messiah Scramble, but Ren really singled you out, didn't he?"_

_"Both he and Kai looked roughly of age around the time of the Scramble. I didn't," Leon said, unphased, "That's all there is to it."_

_"It would’ve been so much easier if we could just erase the Scramble’s existence entirely instead of just clearing Kourin’s involvement,” Naoki sighed, “Then we coulda fought for whoever had to participate instead.”_

_That was the tricky thing about performing memory wipes. Even if it was a relatively easy affair with the power of the Sanctuary, making broad changes to the past had the potential to cause unwanted side effects. As such, the Knights preferred to tweak as little as possible whenever they changed events, such as the Messiah Scramble._

_It was all pretty troublesome. And honestly, Naoki preferred to leave that sort of burden to… Knights that had a finer touch than he did._

_"Well, either way, I look forward to working with ya again today, Leon."_

_"Likewise."_

_The two stopped at a glass storefront with the words "Card Capital" emblazoned on a red and yellow sign. Though the store's sign had been flipped over to read "closed", there were two individuals still inside, just like planned._

_"Under 20 is team-based. I've already readied the other members for you," Ibuki's voice filled the empty store, as Leon and Naoki stepped inside._

_"Hold on," another voice, no less familiar to Naoki than the front gates of Miyaji Academy, protested, "I haven't said I'll do it-"_

_"Hey,” Naoki voiced, casual and light, as if he had just walked in right after school, "Quatre Knights, checking in for duty."_

_Even though Naoki had caught a glimpse of Kamui from afar after Stride Gate, it was only up close that he realized just how substantially he had grown since his elementary or middle school years._

_He was taller and the once round boyishness of his youth had mellowed out of his face. But he was still very distinctly Kamui with his red eyes blown wide in surprise and mouth agape._

_Somehow, Naoki felt relieved to see that he had grown up well._

_"Ah, perfect timing," Ibuki noted, "These are the teammates that I mentioned. They were integral to both GIRS Crisis and the Stride Gate incident behind the scenes."_

_Kamui looked hesitant, wary almost, of both Naoki and Leon. His eyes flickered between the two of them and Ibuki uncertainly._

_"Nice to meet ya. Name's Ishida Naoki," Naoki held out a hand, "But you can call me Ishida-senpai if you want-"_

_Naoki choked as Leon elbowed him in the ribs._

_An unspoken rule for the Knights that really should've gone without saying, was to avoid any tells that could peel back the careful cover of their memory wipes - something they knew was possible, twice over._

_"O-or just Ishida. That works too."_

\---

"Turn end," Tokoha announced.

The damage count stood four to four, with Tokoha holding a definite advantage in cards and field. From experience, she knew full well that she had to play fast and hard to hold her advantage if she didn't want to get swept up in the wave-like rhythm of her opponent. A lesson she had learned after several matches with Jaime.

"Stand and draw," Leon intoned.

In Tokoha's memory, Leon always seemed aloof and impassive. The face of a stony general who had weathered his fair share of storms. However, seeing him again in the context of the vast, empty Sanctuary, she couldn't help but think that he was smaller than she remembered. Somehow, younger, frailer.

Distinctly, she was reminded of Enishi's words after his fight with Leon during Under 20.

"He reminds me of myself," Enishi had mentioned, after apologizing for his loss, "He fights with a purpose, but there's also something sad about the way he fights." When she had pressed him for more details, Enishi had been hesitant, but what he had eventually said remained with Tokoha, long after the first stage of Under 20.

"It almost feels like he's lost someone."

At the time, Tokoha hadn't fully understood what Enishi had meant, too enraptured in her own fugue to see far beyond her own, little bubble. But, facing Leon like this, she saw exactly what Enishi saw.

A hollowed out person. Purpose and duty, but no life behind it.

Leon's white was a white in mourning.

"Leon-san."

Leon made no sign of acknowledgment, but his hand froze on top of his Vanguard that he had just moved to stand.

"Why is it?" she bit her lip, "That you seem so sad?"

"Stride. Blue Storm Crusher Dragon, Engulf Maelstrom. Lordly Maelstrom's stride skill-"

"Leon-san!" Tokoha slammed her hands against the table in front of her.

Without looking up, Leon finally acknowledged her, "What is it?"

"Just to make it clear," she grit out, "You won't beat Anjou Tokoha with this kind of half-hearted fight."

Leon looked up, wisps of his blond bangs falling over his eyes as he settled his cold violet gaze on her, "I am one of the Quatre Knights, it is my sole duty as a protector to defeat you."

Tokoha narrowed her eyes, heart positively aching as she thought of Enishi's description of Leon, "And just what are you trying to protect? The other Knights? The swordsman in the myth? The Sanctuary? Or, are you trying to protect someone?"

Leon might have had the poker face of a weathered general, but underneath the Knight's white uniform, he was still human. Tokoha took extra care to not miss the faintest twitch of Leon's fine blond brows at her final question.

"You do have someone important to you, don't you?" the realization came over her as she spoke, "Where are they, Leon-san?" Tokoha expected the worst. She expected a tragic story, or at least a story made tragic by an untimely end. Because loss, she had learned, was a surprisingly universal pain.

However, when Leon calmly answered, "Safe and well on Earth, just as you should be."

His response lit a fuse within her.

Who exactly Leon had been talking about was lost on her, but the sentiment burned her like a horse out of hell. His was the same logic that she had held when she let Am and Luna go, to be Peacemakers for causes they didn't truly believe in. The same logic that Enishi had held firm to when he stood before Tokoha in Stride Gate.

_Protect them, from afar. Make the necessary sacrifices._

Utter crap, that's what it was.

"Leon-san, you might not know this because I'm from the future," Tokoha began, "But, you've helped me and several other people before."

Leon's face remained stony, not giving away an inch.

"So now it's time for me to repay the favor!"

\---

_"Sorry, for losing," Kamui said as the rising platform dropped him off at the main stage for the first round, "But, I did get some intel from the fighters in the drop zone."_

_He stepped off the platform and looked around, "Where did that Ishida guy go?"_

_"He started another match shortly after the one to retrieve you from the drop zone," Leon explained._

_Kamui sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "He's a really carefree guy, isn't he?"_

_"On the surface, perhaps," Leon said cryptically._

_Kamui glanced over at his temporary teammate._

_When Kamui had met both Leon and Naoki at Card Capital for Ibuki's proposal, it hadn't been the first time he had seen them – they had skirted his periphery after the events of Stride Gate and had been a hot topic amongst TRY3 and their crowd around that time, for obvious reasons._

_But, as he had later figured out after some sleuthing, their encounter at Card Capital hadn't even been the second time he had run into Leon._

_Some years ago, during Kamui's heyday as a competitive fighter, he had apparently fought against Leon in the Messiah Scramble – a tournament that had fallen underneath the radar for most due to its swift cancellation. Well, everyone except to the few who religiously followed the group known as the Quatre Knights._

_Kamui couldn't help but internally wince the exorbitant sums of money that some people had been offering for video footage or information about the event because he, himself, had managed to completely forget about it._

_"So, what did you discover?" Leon's calm voice broke Kamui out of his thoughts._

_"A lot of them said similar things to what I've already heard: Onimaru Kazumi, and all of Team Diffride are oppressively strong and insanely lucky," Kamui recounted._

_Leon rubbed his chin thoughtfully with a gloved hand, violet eyes carefully calculating what he knew. Eventually, he said, "For the time being, let's continue on our course as planned. We can corroborate our findings with Ibuki after the first stage ends."_

_"Geh," Kamui winced, "I totally forgot. Ibuki's gonna have my neck for letting Chrono find out why I entered Under 20."_

_Leon raised a brow, "The Gear Chronicle Singularity?"_

_"Yeah. I think that Ishida guy blabbed about it to him," Kamui sighed, frustrated. "Well, I guess whatever goes, goes. He was probably going to find out at some point-"_

_"I wouldn't normally suggest this, but," Leon's expression abruptly darkened, "If it's Ishida's fault, there are measures that we can take to ensure that he doesn't remember."_

_Kamui, completely caught off guard, choked on thin air, "T-there's no need to take things that far! He's just a kid!"_

_Leon held Kamui's gaze for a beat longer before conceding, "If you say so."_

_At that, Kamui let out a sigh of relief. For the first time, he began to seriously consider why Ibuki had enlisted the help of the Quatre Knights and what they were really capable of. Especially if Leon was suggesting one of the many things that Kamui's more imaginative mind had reached for._

_So for Chrono's sake, Kamui decided to elaborate, "Ibuki wanted him to just experience the tournament as-is without having to worry about any of the stuff we're investigating. Of course, I feel the same."_

_“I see.”_

_“I’m serious, don’t do anything weird to him,” Kamui emphasized._

_“I only do what I deem to be necessary.”_

_“Somehow that doesn’t reassure me at all.”_

_At this point Kamui was stalling. It was well past time for them to get back to Under 20, but there was a strange atmosphere to their meeting that he just couldn’t shake. So, Kamui rocked back on his heels and just went with whatever came to his mind._

_“Chrono’s really going places. He’s the type of person who always faces forward and it shows in how he plays,” he began, “Actually, I’m pretty responsible for that.”_

_Leon shifted slightly in Kamui’s periphery._

_“I was the first person that introduced him to Vanguard and since then, he’s really raced through a lot of hurdles,” Kamui recounted, “But, how should I say this? Sometimes I feel like there’s a limit to how much I can really do for him. Like, no matter how I try to take things off his shoulders, he’s always going to be diving forward, towards the future.”_

_"That's not to say that I'll stop, of course. Whatever I can do to help or guide him, I'll do it gladly," Kamui hastily added. Then continued in a softer, almost tender tone, "But being able to stand on the same stage for once and watch him grow first hand makes me look forward to see just how far he’ll go - with my own eyes."_

_Truthfully, Kamui wasn't sure what had come over him, or why he had decided to go off on the tangent that he had. But, with all he had said, he turned to look at Leon-_

_-only to find Leon's piercing violet eyes looking right at him._

_"Leon," Kamui swallowed to steady himself, "I'm glad that I entered Under 20, even if it was just at Ibuki's request."_

_Leon's quizzical gaze held onto Kamui for a moment longer before he looked away, back to the horizon._

_"We should get back to work."_

_"Yeah, yeah," Kamui agreed. The strange atmosphere had settled, returning them to the grounds of Under 20's much-hyped first stage._

_But after they had split ways, while Leon was still in earshot, Kamui called out once more, "Leon!"_

_Leon half-turned._

_Kamui had a cheeky smile on his face that was more reminiscent of his younger years, "Don't forget our match later! I won't forgive you if you skimp out on my one condition for being on this team._

_Leon turned back around and continued on his way._

_But not before he had raised a hand in silent acknowledgment and a soft, welcoming breeze swept the soft grass behind him._

\---

"I have long made my decision," Leon stated as he set his back-row Eldermoss into rest, "Attack."

"Guard!" Tokoha dropped a grade one from her hand, "Whether you've made your decision or not, I'm here to change it! Just like we're here to change our future!"

"Attack," Leon intoned, unshaken in the slightest.

"Guard! Intercept!" Tokoha threw down her cards into the Guardian circle. "Leon-san! You said that you’re protecting someone, didn't you? Then, why would you let them go?!"

"Attack!" Leon slid his units into rest forcefully. 

"Guard!" Tokoha yelled once more as she threw down two more critical triggers from her hand.

"Do not interfere any longer," Leon gritted out, "The fourth wind becomes a storm, Engulf Maelstrom's Generation Break!"

Tokoha braced herself. 

"For this battle, you cannot defend with any card with a grade less than the number of Maelstroms I have in my soul," Leon swept his hand over to his Vanguard and fanned out the cards to reveal two Maelstroms beneath his heart card. The restrictions sealed away any perfect guards, as well as any triggers with their hefty 10,000 power shields. 

“It’s time that you leave this place. Attack!”

"Generation Guard! Bond Protector Musketeer, Antero!"

Across the prison, Tokoha stood tall as she held her fingers tenderly against the card that she had set down into the guardian circle. The turbulent look of fury in her amber eyes had only grown stronger as the match progressed.

"Antero's skill!" she slipped a card out from her soul, "Because I have four or more rear guards, Antero receives plus fifteen thousand shield."

Leon’s eyes narrowed, "Drive check."

The first check: A Blue Storm Shield, Homerus. No trigger.

Second check: Blue Storm Supreme Dragon, Lordly Maelstrom. No trigger.

The third check-

"Leon-san," Tokoha called out once more, "Are you really okay with this? Are you really okay with never being able to see and hold the people that you want to protect?"

Without hesitation, Leon replied, "I will fulfill my duty, no matter what."

Tokoha grimly shook her head, "Duty or no, that you want to protect them means that you care for them. I've nearly lost the people that I held dear because I let them go, because I let them walk away!" Even now, she could easily imagine the pinched smiles on Am and Luna's faces as they walked away from her on that one, sunny day.

"When people are dead, they're gone. Forever." A smile that had smiled at her, once upon a time. A hand that pressed against her back and gently, gently pushed her forward.

"No matter how much you want to reach out, no matter how much you want to fix your last words, you can't, Leon-san."

She reached out and picked up the G-Guardian, Antero, from her Guardian circle and cradled it in her hand.

"Don't say that you'll protect them from afar. Don't say that you'll never see them again," she said as she set the card gingerly back into her G Zone, "Hug them, make terrible jokes with them, cry with them, and when you think you've had enough, do it all over again until your stomach hurts from laughing so much."

Tokoha looked up, her chest overwhelmed with feelings that she couldn't cry out, because all her tears had already dried up.

"Because I promise you, Leon-san. Wherever they are, they're thinking of you, too!"

\---

_"Hey, hey! Mr. Knight in white!"_

_Leon half-turned to find a gangly man with walnut skin and long white hair racing to catch up with him._

_The first stage had already ended and Kamui, Naoki, and Leon had bowed out of the tournament just like they had planned. Leon was right on his way out of the bind zone to seek out the rest of his teammates so that they could rendezvous with Ibuki and evaluate their findings together._

_The man skidded to a stop in front of Leon, panting heavily as he spoke, "H-hey! What was your name again?"_

_Leon raised a brow in confusion before he replied, "Soryu Leon."_

_"Ah!" the man exclaimed, "I knew it!"_

_At once, Leon was on guard. Just who was this person? And more importantly, what had he discovered with only his name? A name that was no longer meant to exist?_

_He asked in a carefully measured voice, "Who are you?"_

_"Oh oops, my bad," the man straightened up to his full height and held out a hand, "Jaime Alcaraz. I'm currently the number two singles fighter in Europe. It's nice to meet you!"_

_Leon, still wary, glanced between Jaime's open hand and his face._

_"Er, handshakes are a thing in Japan, right? I know that cheek kissing is off the table and even then we're both guys so," Jaime trailed off uncertainly._

_From his periphery, Leon quietly noticed the small amount of attention that their stand-still was garnering from passing bystanders. Left with no other option, he shook Jaime's hand with a curt, "Likewise."_

_If Jaime was bothered at all by Leon's hesitance, he didn't show it. In fact, after Leon finally shook his hand, he seemed to calm down considerably almost as if he were adjusting to Leon's apparent discomfort._

_"So, why did you stop me?" Leon asked._

_"Right so, about your family name - my teammates told me an old legend that was passed down through their family," Jaime began, "And if I'm not wrong, it was about a 'Soryu child' who was destined to embrace the wind and herald the second coming of the Soryu clan._

_Leon’s throat dried in revelation._

_Jaime tapped a finger against his chin thoughtfully, "But, according to them, that particular line of their family died out a while ago even though they're still technically called the 'Soryu clan.' So imagine my surprise when I was just making my way around Under 20 in Japan, of all places, to find a guy with 'Soryu' in his name." Jaime laughed good-naturedly._

_"Your teammates," Leon jutted into Jaime's rambling, "What are your teammates' names?"_

_"Oh? You don't know about us?" Jaime's brows rose into his bangs._

_"I, no," Leon, in a rare show, stumbled over his words, "I'm not very up to date on the European circuit."_

_"Ah, I probably should've guessed that when you didn't recognize me," Jaime realized sheepishly. He cleared his throat and straightened up, "We are the challengers of the Mediterranean, three-time Europe team circuit champions: Jilian Chen, Sharlene Chen, and yours truly - Team Castaway!"_

_Not the armed battleship, Dreadnought, with its canons loaded and ready for war._

_But rather, a herald to the lost, a shipwrecked soul stranded alone._

_"Jaime, was it?"_

_"That's me."_

_“Thank you, for telling me about the myth. My regards go to your teammates, I enjoyed it.”_

_“If you did, then you should meet the rest of my team sometime,” Jaime beamed, “I’m sure that they’d be surprised to find someone who actually has their clan’s name. And a fellow Aqua Force user, to boot.” At that, Jaime winked inquisitively._

_Leon chuckled mirthlessly, “Perhaps another day. For now, I have people who are waiting for me.”_

_“Oh, my bad. I did kinda stop you out of the blue didn’t I?” Jaime rubbed the back of his neck. He straightened up and gave a playful mock salute, “Until next time, Soryu Leon!”_

_Leon drew his heels together with an audible click, straightened his posture to perfection, and saluted in return, the edges of his arm and hand in perfect degrees as he did._

_Jaime’s mouth opened slightly in surprise before he straightened his posture as best he could to match._

_His hand was a few degrees off and Leon could tell that his wrist wasn’t locked quite as much as it should’ve been - something he knew that Jilian would’ve torn into mercilessly, had she caught sight of it - but Leon received the sentiment all the same._

_“Until next time, Jaime Alcaraz.”_

\---

_"I thought I'd find you here."_

_Leon made no response as Naoki strode into the Main hall until he stood just to Leon's right. From his periphery, he could make out Naoki's lax posture and neutral expression._

_"You've been here a lot more often whenever we pass over Europe lately," Naoki said with a yawn, "Even though it's technically our night."_

_Leon paused before he asked, "You noticed?"_

_"Our rooms aren't that far apart," Naoki shrugged, "And your hellish sleeping schedule is always really consistent. I still don't know how you do it."_

_"It's a matter of simple discipline," Leon answered curtly._

_Naoki laughed, "Your 'simple' is more complicated than you realize, Leon."_

_Once Naoki's laughter eased, the two stood in silence once more as they looked out at the brilliant blue of the Earth beyond the Sanctuary. It was an easy silence, one honed from years of companionship._

_Eventually, Leon was the one who spoke first, "Are you alright?"_

_"Me?" Naoki chuckled, "I'm fine, I'm fine. It was nice to see Kamui again and participate in Under 20, even though I'm pretty sure that I'm technically too old to participate."_

_Leon hummed in assent._

_They fell into silence once more._

_The second time around, Naoki was the one who broke it._

_"Oh, uh, by the way," Naoki turned to Leon, "This is really old news, but do you remember that one meeting we had before you guys left for the Messiah Scramble?"_

_"Somewhat."_

_"Well," Naoki sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "I just recently realized that I never apologized for zapping your hand that one time. So, even if it's late: I'm sorry." As he finished, he bent his whole body into a waist-level ninety-degree bow._

_Leon looked over, took one glance at Naoki's bow, then gave the faintest chuckle._

_"It's fine."_

_Naoki's head shot up, "That's it?"_

_"Is there anything else you wanted of me?" Leon had already gone back to looking at the Earth, but he appeared more at ease than before._

_"No, nothing in particular," Naoki straightened up and resumed looking out at the Earth. "But, y'know, you're actually a really great person, aren't you Leon?"_

_Naoki shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back onto his heels, "I sent Misaki back with my own Memory Judgement, brought Kourin back to Earth, and even fought alongside Kamui again. But, some part of me still feels like I have more to learn when it comes to letting go."_

_Granted, he had noticed that he didn't feel the same piercing sting that accompanied Misaki's tears, nor the heaviness that weighed on him as he left Kourin in the care of the Tatsunagi's when he parted ways with Kamui. Not because Kamui mattered less to him, but_ _rather, because as Naoki kept finding the will to stand up and walk away over and over again, it became easier to stop looking back and start looking forwards._

_"But you, on the other hand, you walked away once and that was it," Naoki noted with respect, "Because you knew what you wanted to protect from day one when we took the oath together, didn't you?"_

_Leon gave pause before he admitted, "I haven't always used the noblest means in the past."_

_He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single card from his deck: Blue Storm Supreme Dragon, Lordly Maelstrom. His new, chosen avatar, reminiscent of the season of his life where he had been willing to sacrifice anything and everything to restore the wind in the Soryu clan's sails._

_That part about Leon hadn't changed much, in retrospect._

_Which was why it felt fitting that Maelstrom, the unit that had first come to him when he sought power, had returned._

_Naoki sighed, "But you've always had noble intents in mind, right?"_

_Leon took a page out of Ren's book and replied, "Who knows?'_

_"Yes, yes, I hear you. I just don't believe you," Naoki huffed._

_"What about yourself?" Leon countered, "If memory serves correctly, you defended Sendou during the Deletor Invasion and staved off Tokura Misaki, even though she was once your ally."_

_Naoki scoffed, "I just decided that I wanted to do the manly thing and keep my promise, that's all. And besides…"_

_His eyes drank in the sight of the great throne, the translucent barrier, and the blue world and stars beyond them._

_"As long as I'm human, as long as I'm alive, and as long as I remember, then even if Aichi sleeps and everyone else forgets," Naoki's smile became slightly strained, but he persisted, "Then the times we shared won't ever truly die. My memories will keep them alive and we'll still be connected by the Vanguard that we all shared."_

_A beat passed before Leon added, "The Vanguard that we Quatre Knights vow to protect."_

_Naoki glanced over to Leon in surprise to find his fellow Knight completely at ease. There was the barest hint of a smile on his face and a glowing sincerity in his violet eyes that hadn't been there the day that they had taken their oath. It seemed, Naoki concluded, that Leon had done his fair share of thinking, too._

_"Couldn't have said it better myself."_

\---

_When Shiranui had knelt at the feet of his new, unholy God and received his missive, the Archbishop had stated word-for-word, "One potential envoy of Star Gate has already been predetermined. Find him and give him our Lord's best regards."_

_For the longest time that he had been on Cray's sister planet, Shiranui hadn't the slightest idea to what Gastille's missive for him truly meant._

_That was, until the first stage of Under 20._

_Where, in the dark of a carefully timed black-out, right beside the Gear Chronicle Singularity and the Messenger of Messiah, the envoy had come to him…_

_… dressed head to toe in white._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really should have split this chapter into two lol ~~still might actually, but I'm committed to this chapter naming scheme okay? But also, is any of this chapter coherent? Beeeg IDK.~~
> 
> Naoki and Leon are neat as a duo since Leon was actually relatively important to Naoki's growth in S4. I'm still never sure if I'm penning Leon quite right because he doesn't... really have a lot to him in the show besides being a windy boi. Eh, oh well. 
> 
> Super long chapter aside, I may or may not be taking a break this upcoming week because of the holidays again. Ideally, I'd really like to avoid skipping weeks since we're getting close to the end, but my job naturally picks up hellishly around this time of year, so if there is no chapter on December 27th, the next upload will be on January 3rd (early happy holidays/new year to all, just in case!)
> 
> I'm also like 9 chapters late, but my good friends [manila_envelope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/manila_envelope) and [Eclarius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eclarius) have founded a really neat [CFV/G Discord Server](https://discord.gg/4jq9MsjmXV) where we talk about CFV and I occasionally drop stuff about Sanctum. There's lots of cool people and awesome writers there, so if you're interested, come hang out with us!
> 
> Thanks as always for reading and I shall see you later on a Sanctum Sunday ✰


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